


A Thing Between Light And Darkness

by imgilmoregirl



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M, Family, Family Secrets, Incubus!Rumple, Secret Relationship, Widow!Bele
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-05
Updated: 2018-01-17
Packaged: 2019-02-11 00:07:38
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 16
Words: 41,066
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12923079
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/imgilmoregirl/pseuds/imgilmoregirl
Summary: When Alice Jones came to Storybrooke to live with her recluse uncle Rum, the last thing she expected was that she would run into a boy at school who smiled, talked and looked like him.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Once Upon A Time or any of the characters and storylines in the show. This is just a fanwork made for fun. Also I don't own Beautiful Creatures, nor the Caster Chronicles series in general.
> 
> This work was inspired by Beautiful Creatures' novels, but it is not a retelling of it, just something inspired by it, because I love this series and I needed to write this. Please notice that the family tree of this fic is completely different from canon. I hope you enjoy it.

Uncle Rumford was Alice's favourite person in the whole wide world. She was more than happy to be moving in with him again, because even if her aunt Regina thought that she needed some real teenager life experience and insisted for her to keep around, all Alice ever wanted was to be near the person who raised her ever since she was no more than a toddler and her parents died in a fire. But the thing with uncle Rum was that he lived isolated in his house at a small town called Storybrooke, where people thought him to be a creeper and he never stepped a foot outside.

Alice didn’t care for any of this, she was just glad to be near him again and he welcomed her with the same giant smile he always did, guiding his beloved niece to her recently reformed bedroom as Pongo followed then around the house, waiting for the moment the girl would sit in her bed and he would quickly jump to her lap. The happy magical Dalmatian had been in uncle Rum’s care for about ten years now, surely a long life for a dog, but not only magickly linked with its master. It had belonged to uncle Archie for quite some time, but the poor man had gone half-mad because of his powers and now could barely take care of himself.

It seemed to be Rumford’s mission to take care of abandoned things and never life his own life. Alice had always wondered why he was so lonely, as he had always been such a gentle man around her and her cousin Henry, but the truth was that with other people everything uncle Rum ever was, was harsh. However, something that still peeked her interest even after years was a discovery she made in his bedroom when she was about ten.

Entering it was completely forbidden, but her uncle couldn’t manage to keep an eye on her all the time and once, she got to sneak inside there and between all the books, clothes and magical items, she saw a photograph on his nightstand. In the picture, uncle Rum was wearing one of his usual three-piece suits and had an arm encircling a beautiful young woman’s waist. She was petite, had brown hair, blue eyes and was wearing a dark-blue dress.

Alice tried to take something from him after that, ask if he had ever considered getting married and all those things, but she never got a straight answer, which left her to wonder what could have happened to that woman and who she could have been. She knew very well that for people like them, who struggled between Light and Darkness, life was always dangerous and love wasn’t always allowed, but she thought from all people, her uncle deserved some happiness.

He had given her his old Cadillac keys on Monday morning, begging the girl to have some responsibility as she rolled her eyes at him before leaving the house, heading for her first day at Storybrooke High School. The perspective of a new school didn’t cheer her up not even a bit, as Alice had previous horrible experiences from every place she had ever been, but apparently, she couldn’t just skip the three years she still had ahead and maybe go to college.

After parking the car, she picked her backpack and her books, heading to her first class of the day. Literature, with Mary-Margareth Nolan. Alice picked the first seat, near the teacher’s table and opened her book, wondering if she could catch up with the class, even being two months behind them as she felt people’s eyes laying on her as the room slowly was filled up by the students. She hated this.

“So, we have someone new with us today,” Mrs. Nolan started to say as soon as she closed the door. “I’d like to introduce you all to Miss Alice Jones.”

Shrinking was automatic, she was small in there, those people knew each other for basically their whole lives and she was an outsider with an uncle who had a terrible reputation.

“I thought it was Alice Gold,” a girl said from the bottom of the room. “My mom said she is Mr. Gold’s niece.”

“Yeah,” the boy beside her pronounced himself. “And what Victoria Belfrey says is the utter truth, right Ivy? _Leave the girl alone_.”

Shocked, Alice looked up, receiving a half-smile from him, one that made the breath got caught on her throat, but not because she thought he was breath-taking. Of course, she needed to admit the boy was quite handsome with brow hair and brow eyes, really taller than her, all dressed in black, expect for his dark-blue shirt, but what got her stunned was the way he smiled. Alice only knew one person capable of copy that smile and it was her uncle Rumford.

All she could do was to weakly grin back at him, still too stupefied by the similarity she found between his young face and her uncle's winkled one. Mrs. Nolan settled the class down and started to discuss the book they had been reading, but even thought it was one of Alice's ultimate favourites, she could barely pay attention at what the woman was saying when she was sitting near someone that resembled Rumford so much.

When the bell ringed, she didn't hurry to stand up like the others were doing, but delayed herself, just like did the boy by her side. Gathering some courage, Alice looked back at him as she rose on balls of her feet, pulling her books close to her chest.

"Do you mind telling me where I can find my next class?" She asked, hesitantly. "It's English."

"Of course, it's the last one at the right corridor upstairs," he informed. "My name is Gideon, by the way."

He stretched a hand for her in a greeting Alice gladly accepted, closing her pale hand around his and giving it a shake before she felt it and pulled away. Magic. It was a shock, like something tickling the tip of her fingers, a recognition too strong to be ignored and then she looked up at his face with jaw dropping when she noticed that the shape of his eyes was the same as uncle Rumford's.

"Oh," she murmured.

Gideon's eyebrows narrowed in confusion. Alice knew that now he would be thinking she was a weirdo just like her uncle.

"Is something wrong?"

"No, you just... You remind me of someone, that's all," Alice bounced, eager to get out of there. "Nice to meet you, Gideon and thank you for earlier."

She left the classroom, with a bunch of questions burning her in mind. It couldn't be, she was pretty sure it couldn't, but Gideon, whoever he was and what was his story was a magical being that strangely looked way too much alike the most powerful man she knew. And as Alice climbed up the stairs, the only thing she could do was to wonder if Storybrooke had more secrets to hide than it seemed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading! I'm so sorry if there is anything wrong with my writing, English is not my first language.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alice meets Gideon on the road.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This will probably be a ten chapters fic, because I couldn't help myself writing it. And this is inspired by a scene that i love in both BC's book and movie, but I won't be sticking any other scene from now one, just the idea that inspired the fic.  
> I hope this is enjoyable!

That was it, Alice thought, angrily kicking the Cadillac's wheel. Her hair and clothes were damp because of the pouring rain that persisted the whole morning and she wanted to scream in frustration. Damn Storybrooke, damn stupid Gideon that spoke to her once just to pretend she didn’t exist for the next two weeks and damn uncle Rumford’s old car, so useless as his basically inexistent ability of speaking openly.

She had tried so hard to take something from him, but he just wouldn’t speak. Her very first theory that day after she touched Gideon’s hand and found out that he beard magic, was that he could maybe be related to them, since he looked so much alike her uncle, maybe even a son, but then, she remembered about how he took care of her for years and felt pretty sure that he would never abandon a child of his. It leaved her with no clue about that boy’s origins, but she had heard from someone that he was the son of the town’s librarian and had lost his father just a year ago.

Pure nonsense to her, but Alice liked a good mystery. What she didn’t like, however was standing in there tipping her uncle’s number repeatedly and groaning every time he didn’t pick up. Looking angrily at her phone Alice was about to grab her bag and start to walk all the way home when she heard the loud noise of a car skidding through the road to stop just millimetres from her.

"What the hell are you doing here?” Gideon asked, stretching himself through the window. “Nobody takes this road!"

"Well, I do and apparently, you too."

"It's the quickest way home," he answered. "What are you doing in the middle of the rain?"

"Taking a bath," she returned, sarcastically. "Ugh, the freaking car broke!"

Oh, if she was just able to get full control of her powers... But right now, she wasn’t. Actually, Alice was fighting to keep herself from doing any harm to anyone with them as they were growing stronger. Aunt Regina had alerted her about this; their whole family struggled with the same at some point and for what she knew, her mother, Eloise, had tried to deal with hers until her very last breath.

"Do you want me to drive you home?" Gideon screamed from inside the car.

"No. I'm trying to call my uncle," Alice affirmed, her attention turning back to the wet phone again, struggling to tip with the number as the drops fell against the screen.

"You're going to get a cold," the boy insisted. "Get in the car, please."

That was the last thing she wanted to do. Gideon was nice, too nice, when he wasn’t ignoring her and that combined to the fact that he looked like uncle Rum, simply got her mad. So, breathing in, she opened the Cadillac’s front door, grabbed her backpack, and turned around, shutting it close behind her.

"Forget it, I can walk."

"Alice!” Gideon exclaimed, impatient. “Come on, don't be so stubborn."

She sneezed twice, feeling her body start to tremble with cold, making her sure that by the end of the week she would be burning in fever if she didn’t warm herself soon. Swallowing her pride, she slid inside Gideon’s passenger seat.

"Your car seat will get damp," Alice remarked.

"That's alright."

"I hate this place," she complained as he started to drive.

"There is two of us, then."

He smirked and for all the gods sake, she could see the phantom of her uncle like he was sitting in there beside her and that was just maddening.

"Can you stop this, please?"

Gideon furrowed.

"Stop what?"

"Looking like my uncle," Alice freaked out.

Alright, now she sounded like the crazy people had been saying she was. Apparently, a woman called Victoria Belfrey had convinced the whole town that she had spent three years in an asylum, her aggressive behaviour controlled by a bunch of pills, which clearly was a lie. Alice though herself a little bit crazy, yes, and she had a pretty odd family with pretty unique gifts and maybe a tendency to madness, but she had never been in an asylum and those rumours only server to get her irritated most of time.

Gideon, however didn’t stop the car and told her to get the hell out, instead he laughed out loud.

"So that's who I remind you about?" He inquired, still chuckling. "You know, I have never set eyes on him and I live here since I was born."

"He doesn't like the town too," she shrugged.

The car drowned in silence of a moment and she noticed that he didn’t ask her for her address, but in that stupid town, everybody already knew where she lived and even though the big salmon house, very distant from the others, it was a part of Storybrooke and the mental map its residents probably had by now.

"So, what's your story?" Gideon started. "Do your parents live any near here?"

"Their ashes are resting somewhere in Seattle," she said, slightly laughing humourlessly in her own answer. "They died in a fire."

"Oh, I'm sorry I didn't know," the boy replied. "I lost my father a while ago too, he got himself into a car crash, but he was kind of a bastard so nobody truly mourned him."

"Well, sorry for you."

And her theory about a lost son confirmedly failed. She really wanted to ask Gideon if he knew he had all the power she could feel on him, but Alice wasn’t going to do so. At least, not now.

"Yeah, well we are better without him."

Alice sighed, looking through the window as she mumbled bitterly: "You really don't need to speak to me now if you're going to ignore me tomorrow."

"I...” Gideon swallowed. “Oh, I didn't want to ignore you, but Mrs. Potts keeps babbling into my head saying that your family is danger and I should stay away."

"Who is Mrs. Potts? A teacher?"

His cheeks got a little flushed and it took him a while to answer, but as soon as the words left his mouth, Alice knew why.

"No, my nanny."

"You have a nanny?" She guffawed.

"I did, when I was a kid, now she is just like part of the family."

The girl was still suffocating some laughs to think of a boy his age being watched by an old rigorous nanny, but as the car rolled down the road, the chuckles eventually died and she calmed herself.

"Right," Alice whispered. "I was planning on looking for a job today. Any recs?"

"Actually, yes. My mom needs an assistant at the library. If you appear there tomorrow after school, I'll make sure the job is yours."

Money sounded good. Something else to do other than watching her uncle read and play piano during the whole after, sounded even better, but spending this time locked between shelves didn’t appear to be much fun, even though it was better than ending up on a grocery store.

"I don't know, libraries are not much my style."

"You'll like, I promise."

As he said those words, the car reached the gates of the Gold Manor, and she opened the door to find Pongo sitting there, looking straight at her.

"I'll think about that,” Alice promised, “thank you for the ride."

Gideon nodded, watching as she disappeared with the Dalmatian trotting by her side, looking back at him at each few steps.

* * *

 

Rumford watched through Pongo’s eyes when Belle’s car parked outside his house, his heart flipping painfully in his chest. He saw Alice getting out and noticed that there was a boy inside there, instead of the woman he still loved even after all those years. It was her son, he was pretty sure.

He had never caught a good look at him, even though Pongo constantly followed the librarian through the town, to make sure she was alright and not bad could reach her as he knew that most people who knew about their past secret relationship wanted her dead. The very reason he couldn’t be with her.

However, it was always a relief for his loneliness to watch the years pass for Belle through the dog’s eyes. He had seen everything, watching from distant as she lived the life he wanted for them with another man, just like he asked her to do the last time they spoke to each other face to face. Blinking, Rumford, reached for the book he was reading, hearing Alice get inside the house as he found the last note she left for him, a little gift of communication they had been sharing weekly for the last sixteen years or so.

He kissed the paper with her handwriting in which she professed her eternal love for him. But unfortunately, their love couldn’t go any further than in paper; it didn’t matter for Rum, he would get any bit of it he could and he would be grateful, even knowing that she would never truly belong to him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We will see Belle's point of view in the next chapter, so I hope to clarify some things.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alice starts to work in the library.

The next day was sunny and beautiful, Alice was reclined against the Cadillac, eyes closed as she enjoyed the warm light bathing her face. After she got home yesterday, she had changed her damp clothes and waited until the rain stopped – it was already night when it did – so uncle Rumford accompanied her to the road where the car was left and quickly fixed its problem.

She found it rather unbelievable that he could fix that stupid car with just a few minutes of work in the motor, but she was glad she didn’t have to walk all the way to school. Ivy Belfrey seemed to find a strange delight in bothering her, but Alice wasn’t going to give in to her constant provocations, she just got to hold her powers quiet when her anger felt stronger.

"Hey," she heard Gideon’s voice calling.

He was walking in her direction with narrowed eyes, clearly annoyed by the sunlight, another boy, shorter and with darker hair, following him. Alice straightened herself, folding her arms.

"You're late," the girl accused.

"Sorry," he said, then pointed at the boy beside him. "This is my best friend Roderick."

Alice didn’t know his name until now, but she had seen him around. They had two or three classes together and she had seen him talking with Gideon a couple of times, but just like the rest of the school, Roderick seemed to ignore her too, what really wasn’t a surprise. However, now that Gideon was there, the boy didn’t appear to find any problem in talking with her, actually he was giving her a giant kind smile.

"You don't look so maniac as others say," Roderick chuckled.

"Nice to meet you too," Alice rolled her eyes.

"Come on,” Gideon nodded, gesticulating to his car, “let's go."

Entering the Cadillac, the blonde followed their bluish car around town, noticing she had never allowed herself to truly know any bit of it. She only knew the way from home to school and it was nice to see new things, so when they stopped and got out of the cars, she found it nice to be entering a place in which she didn’t feel completely bad.

The library wasn’t huge and Alice didn’t saw anybody in there. Gideon looked around, peeking a look behind the circulation desk.

"Mama?" He called. "Mama, are you here?"

"Just a minute," a woman’s voice answered from somewhere further inside the library.

"She is doing research," another voice said.

A dark-haired woman came from a smaller section, wearing black boots and a stamped burgundy dress, by her appearance, Alice thought she should be in her late thirties.

"Alice,” Gideon started, “this aunt Ruby, my mother's partner in crime."

Ruby offered her hand to her in a greeting.

"We are old friends from college,” she explained. “I'm the mad one who followed Belle to this crazy city when she decided to get married."

"So, you're blaming me again, Ru...” Belle begun, coming from the same place from where Ruby did, holding a huge book on her hands, but when she lifted her eyes and saw Alice, she gasped, losing the track of what she was saying for a brief moment before, she continued: “Oh, this is the friend you have talked about?"

Alice was also jaw dropped, because that woman, Belle, _Gideon’s mother_ , was most certainly the one in the photograph uncle Rumford had hidden in his bedroom. She swallowed hard. Belle looked older now, hair pulled on a twisted ponytail, an elegant white blouse tucked inside her high waisted black trousers, instead of the girlish dress she wore on the picture, the lines on her face a little deeper, but not too much.

If, just like she imagined, they had been lovers in the past, then Alice could see the very reasons her uncle loved that woman. She was a beauty, had a refined taste in clothes and was a smart librarian that probably loved books as much as he did. Her eyes immediately wander to Gideon and although she didn’t have a way to confirm her theories, she felt surer about the boy’s connection with her uncle now than she ever did before.

"Yeah," Gideon nodded. "I'm sure Alice will be perfect for the job."

"Of course," Belle smiled sweetly at her. "Why don't we get started, then? There is a lot to do."

"Follow me," Ruby said, rubbing at Alice’s back as she gestured for them to go behind the shelves, where some tables were place, but the girl noticed the worried glare she shared with Belle before they left.

Something definitely wasn’t right there and as Alice heard Ruby’s monologue about each section of books and how to organize them properly alphabetically by the author’s surname, she felt herself very far away from there, this little taste a good mystery picking her interest way more than her new job did.

However, now working in the library seemed just perfect, because the more time she spent near Gideon’s mother, the more she would be able to discover about her past and her late husband, of course. She helped Ruby to return some of the book to their places and for a while she could hear Gideon and Roderick’s voices speaking on the front, but then, the whole place went quiet, so she guessed they had gone home.

The hours passed faster than she expected. Alice was carrying some files Ruby had told her to place on the shelves behind the circulation desk, when she saw a woman entering the library, short hair, well-dressed and cold eyes.

"Isabelle," she demanded, approaching the librarian. "Do you mind telling me what this _girl_ is doing here?"

The woman was pointing at Alice with disgust, but Belle’s expression didn’t change as she shrugged, with no interesting in talking with her.

"Working."

"My dear, do I need to tell you about her historic in the asylum?"

"No, Victoria, I've heard the rumours you spread loud and clear," she spoke with disdain, narrowing her eyes. "Now, please, if you don't want any book and just came here to bother me, follow the way out."

Holding back a laugh, Alice though that she definitely liked her. So, this was Victoria Belfrey, Ivy’s mother, who apparently had nothing else to do with her life other than trying to ruin her already pretty bad reputation in that town.

"I came for a book, _yes_ , Isabelle," Victoria smirked, sliding a piece of paper with the title written in it for her. "If you don't mind."

Disappearing behind the shelves, Belle left Alice alone in there, to face Victoria’s hateful glare, but all she did was to start putting the files on their places, until the librarian came back with Ruby by her side and the book on her hands, offering it to Belfrey.

"Here."

Victoria accepted it, but she glanced at Alice one last time, remarking to Belle: "If I were you, I wouldn't defy me."

Turning around, she left the library and Alice grimaced, showing her disgust for that woman. She felt a hand being placed on her shoulder and looked up to see Belle smiling kindly.

"I'm sorry for her," Gideon’s mother apologized, "but Victoria doesn't scare us."

"She tried to close the library three times in the last two years,” Ruby told her. “It didn't work."

"She looks like a bad bitch, but I'm also not afraid of her," she guaranteed.

After that, they got some time to organize some papers and attended some clients, and it was around four, when Belle turned the sing “closed” in the front door.

"Well, your shift if over, and the library is alright," the brunette contemplated. "See you tomorrow?"

"Sure," Alice assured, grabbing her bag and opening the door just to find her uncle’s dog sat in there, his wise eyes staring at her. "Pongo, what are you doing here, boy?"

At the sound of her words, Belle walked towards where she was still standing, letting a sad expression take her face.

"It seems you have a loyal friend."

"Yeah, it seems," the girl murmured, dragging the dog to the Cadillac as it insisted in keep looking back at the library’s door.

* * *

 

As soon as Storybrooke’s Public Library was closed, Belle took the waning moon key from her pocket and went to the elevator, where Ruby was waiting for her, the doors closed when the key was turned and the elevator went down and down until it ended up on the tunnels that led to the Lunae Libri. They entered the new place, gloving their hands so the magical books wouldn’t burn them and sat by the big table where their recent research was.

Belle’s heart was heavy on her chest. From all people, she wasn’t expecting that the friend Gideon had recommended her as an assistant would be Alice Jones, Rumford’s niece. It had been years since she had last seeing her love, when right there in that same secret library he had begged her to follow with her life and not think about him anymore.

Things had gotten too dangerous for them by that time, his complicated family attracting too much threats for a human to survive being linked with one of them, but Belle had never been afraid. Not from the magic, nor from the beast Rum so feared becoming, when he hit the age where his powers as an Incubus would transform him completely, just like what had happened with his father and his oldest brother, Archie.

If she closed her eyes, she could still remember how she sobbed against his chest, not wanting to leave him for good before they shared their last night together. It had knocked her down for a full week, as he drained all of her forces during their love-making and she had awoken all dressed, laid on the chaise with a huge blanket above her as Ruby dusted her fingers over a book’s page.

He locked himself inside the Manor since then, but she still sent notes on the books he ordered from the library. Belle had shared small details about her whole life with him this way, from how uncertain and heartbroken she felt on her wedding day, to how Gideon took his first steps in the Lunae Libri and how much she missed and love him. What she didn’t said, however, was that Gaston was the worst husband ever, that after their first two months of marriage he never touched her again, how much he drank even during the week and how she never even mourned his death.

Sighing, Belle worried at her lip, thinking about Alice and hoping that she wasn’t as smart as she seemed to be,

"She looks like Eloise," Ruby suddenly said, interrupting her thoughts.

"They have a strong DNA," Belle shrugged. "Her sixteen birthday is arriving, that's why she is here. Rum is the only one that can deal with it properly."

Belle had been around when Eloise Gold turned dark. The whole family was in shock and they were even more surprised when she ran away with her boyfriend Killian Jones. The poor Alice had been born at a horrible moment and in a rather complicate family.

"I guess you're right," Ruby continued, looking down at the book she had in hands and tracing the corner of a page. "Have you told _him_ about the research?"

"Not yet," she shooked her head. "I fear for my son."

She had been delaying it for too long now, but the information she had was decisive for the whole Gold clan and she was afraid that any contact she had with Rum could bring the wrong eyes over her and consequently over her boy. And she couldn’t lose Gideon, she had already lost so much, that she wouldn’t bear this, as much as she knew that she was running out of time.

Sooner or later the truth needed to come out and not because she wasn’t able to keep the secret for longer, but because things would start to change and when Gideon notice it, she wouldn’t be able to hid her double life from him anymore.

"You should," her friend said, standing up. "I'm going home. Call if you find anything, right?"

"Right, thanks."

Ruby smiled, making her way out as Belle picked the family tree she had drew years ago, sliding her fingers to the most recent additions and the names she had high lightened. There was too much lies in just one family.

* * *

 

Seeing Alice getting out of the library had got Rumford worried, but he didn’t say anything to her, otherwise she would start asking too many question that he didn’t want to answer. She ended-up communicating him about her new job by dinner time and even though he insisted she didn’t need to work, Alice said it helped distract her from thinking about her birthday, so didn’t argue.

However, it didn’t mean that he felt any less concerned to have her sharing talks with Belle. He would need to send Pongo more times to the town to make sure that any of them would draw any trouble.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What does Belle knows that nobody else does?


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alice's powers get out of control.  
> Gideon meets Gold.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh, I really enjoyed writing this chapter - you can notice it by its length - and I'm already eager to start the next one.  
> Hope you like it!

"Watch out, witch," Ivy Belfrey said, stumbling in Alice as she made her way to class.

She was the most irritating girl Alice had ever met and sometimes it was hard to simply ignore her provocations, however she tried her best to not let herself get angry with those things. People stared her and talked about her all the time, it wasn't just Ivy, even though, she incited them constantly.

"Bitching like the mother, as always," she muttered under her breath.

Holding her backpack's handle, Alice was about to make her own way to Mrs. Nolan's class when she heard somebody's voice speaking louder than the others, from behind her.

"Alice," Gideon called. "How is work going?"

She froze where she was at the hallway, because they usually didn't speak publicly like that. Of course, he had defended her in that first day and they usually shared some small talks on the parking lot, but always when people were not looking at them. Alice turned around slowly feeling herself shaky, but not because of Gideon but because her powers seemed to be pulsing a little, coming to surface.

"I organize books, there is nothing exciting to talk about," she answered in a sarcastic tone.

"I suppose not," Gideon shrugged, "but my mother thinks you're doing great."

"She is a gentle woman," Alice smiled and then she felt a jolt of power leaving her body, which made one of the lamps in the corridors fade for a second and the opened lockers slam shut. "Ah!"

The girl jumped in place, startled by her own abilities. She was losing control again and she knew the chaos that would come next, just the thought of it, making her shiver with despair.

"It seems that light is going to fade," Gideon pointed out, before glancing back at her and noticing how wide her eyes were. "Did it scare you?"

"No, it is not the light," Alice said, shaking her head. "I need to get out of here."

"Alice?"

Her powers made her mind twist and this time the lamp's glass exploded in tiny pieces, calling everybody's attention. Alice shrunk, holding her books tightly against her chest and feeling tears starting to fill her eyes.

"Oh, damn it," she mumbled, turning around and rushing to the door.

"Alice, come back," Gideon yelled.

He didn't understand her reaction, but he knew that something wasn't right and she didn't look fine. Alice was a weird girl, but he knew how to recognise when someone needed help, so he started to follow her through the hallway, with Roderick, who had watched the whole scene, running him.

"Where are you going?" He asked, breathlessly. "If you skip class your mom and Mrs. Potts are going to kill you!"

"I know, Rod, but that girl is not alright and my mother always helps the others first," Gideon remarked, opening the school's front door. "Wish me luck."

Roderick didn't say a thing, but he didn't stop Gideon either and, in just a couple of moments, he was inside his mother's car, driving through the only road that lead to the Gold Manor. For his contentment, it didn't take long for him to find Alice, because the Cadillac was parked outside the gates and he could see her silhouette inside there.

Jumping out of his car, he quickly opened the Cadillac's door and slid to the passenger's seat, seeing that Alice had been crying. Her eyes were reddish and she was biting her nail, ruining the black nailpolish that covered it. He tried to smile at her, leaning his shoulder against the girl's.

"Do you intend to spend the rest of the day inside here? Because you're expected at the library, missy."

"I don't want to talk," Alice sniffled, "go away."

"What happened inside there?" He insisted, ignoring her request. "Why did you freak out?"

A deep sigh left her. She wasn't willing to talk about this, but her thoughts echoed: _Because it was me._

What Alice didn't expect however, was what came next, Gideon's voice resounding inside her mind like he was speaking aloud, but he clearly wasn't.

_What? How?_

_You're such an idiot_ , Alice said, telepathically.

"Can you hear me this way?" He asked, this time truly using his mouth.

And there it was, another proof he was as magical as her. But what was he? She asked herself. Gideon seemed to be a normal human being, gleeful sometimes, sarcastic in others, but she had felt the magic in him and now she was seeing him use his very powers. But apparently, he had no idea he had them.

"Yes," Alice affirmed.

"Do you read minds?"

"Of course not," she rolled her bluish eyes, "it is just another way of talking with people."

He wasn't satisfied with that answer that was pretty obvious, but it was not the right time to deal with his powers, when hers seemed to be pulsing stronger enough to kill someone.

"So, will you explain me all of this?" Gideon inquired.

"No," Alice quickly said. "At least not today, I don't feel ready. My head aches."

Opening the door, she got out of the car, passing through the gates of the Manor with Gideon following her as she jumped the wall that divided her uncle's property and the abandoned one that was set beside and hide a beautiful garden and an old ruined house.

"Where are you going?"

"There is an abandoned garden near here," she explained passing through the high grass, before reaching the it.

Alice let herself fall to the ground picking a blue flower and rolling it between her fingers.

"So that's what you do with your free time?" Gideon queryed. "You practice non-human abilities and come to secret gardens?"

"Something like that," she shrugged.

"What's the thing about this place?"

"Nothing I just like - " the phrase died when her gaze fell to something shiny on the grass. Gideon saw the thing at the same time she did and kneeled to pick the object. "What is it?"

Their hands touched the silver thing at the same time and suddenly they weren't anymore. Expect for the fact that they were.

It was a very dark night and two people stood right at the same place they had been, staring at the ruins and clutching at each other, the petite woman rubbing circles on the man's back as he gasped in surprise.

"Here?"

"Yes, just the place the letter described," she answered sweetly, before a sigh left her. "I wish I could do something to help your family, it pains me to see their suffering."

The man shooked his head turning around so they were facing each other, the only thing clear enough to distinguish in the darkness, the lines of their silhouettes.

"You're already doing enough, sweetheart. My mother shouldn't have involved you in this."

"Hey, I chose to be the Keeper, alright?" She assured him, lifting a hand to cup his cheek. "It is not just for you, it is for me."

"I don't deserve you," he murmured pressing his forehead to hers.

She sealed a kiss to his lips.

"Stop being so silly," the woman whispered back. "I will find the right answers, Rum and we will be together until death do us apart."

Then Alice and Gideon were back to themselves, facing the bright sunlight of the morning. She was trembling as lifted the thing up to see a delicate chain with a date written in it.

"Whoa what happened?" Gideon asked in a terrifyied voice. "I feel like I... Oh, God I don't even know how to describe it."

"It was my uncle," Alice mumbled, stupefied.

"Really?" He blinked. "It was so dark, I could barely see their shadows. Who is the woman? Your aunt?"

For a second, she wanted to laugh, thinking about how much of an idiot he was for not realising who the woman was, but she thought that for now it was better if he stayed in the dark, because after what they just saw, she was pretty sure that if Isabelle French had secrets it was for a good reason.

"No," she denyed, rising on her feet. "Listen, you better go home."

"I'm not going anywhere before you assure me that I'm not delusional."

"You're not," Alice guaranteed, "now go home!"

"But - "

"Goodbye Gideon," she yelled pocketing the chain and turning her back to him. "I'll see you tomorrow."

She left him alone in the garden, but despite of what she promised, Alice didn't appear at the school or the library in the next day, nor in the other one.

* * *

 

At the end of the week, feeling tired of waiting for Alice to show up and explain him all he wanted to know, Gideon gathered some courage and went to the Gold Manor, walking to the salmon house's front door and knocking a couple of times before the blonde girl opened it, her eyes getting wide when she saw him standing there.

"What the hell are you doing here?"

"My mother said that if you didn't go to work today she would have to fire you," he quickly excused himself, although Belle hadn't said exactly that.

She was more worried with Alice than threatening to fire her, so she asked Gideon about his friend a couple of times, but he always gave her the same answer. Alice wasn't going to school too and he had no idea of what was happening to her.

"Alright I'll be at the library," the girl hurried to whisper as if afraid someone would hear them, "now go to school which is where you should be!"

"Alice, who is at the door?" A new voice asked.

And that was the first time Gideon saw Rumford Gold. He was dressed in a three-piece suit, greying hair framing his face on the length of his shoulders and a kind smile in his lips - one which faded for a brief moment when he set eyes on the boy. His eyes seemed to water for a second, but he quickly recomposed himself.

_Damn it, see what you got us in to?_ Alice asked, angrily.

"This is Gideon, uncle," she said aloud. "Gideon this is my uncle Rumford."

"It is a delight to meet you. Alice never brought friends home," Mr. Gold chuckled humourlessly, offering him a handshake.

Gideon felt something strange tickling on his fingers when his hand closed around Gold's, like a shock or something like that.

"And I'm not bringing now," Alice continued, "he is just leaving."

"No, please, stay," Mr. Gold begged and even though he was the town's biggest mystery a great recluse, Gideon felt that he truly wanted him to just come in for a while. "I'm sure can enjoy some tea together."

"I... Mm..."

"We have coffee if you don't like tea, son."

The last word came shaky in his voice which got Gideon furrowing puzzled at him. Rumford Gold was nothing like the monster people assumed him to be, he was actually a nice man, although he still sounded very strange.

"I like tea," Gideon felt compelled to say.

"Great, welcome to the Gold Manor."

Mr. Gold led them inside as Alice shoot hateful glances at Gideon behind his back.

_Wonderful. That's all I needed._

_What do you wanted me to say?_ Gideon replied, _the guy seems nice._

She didn't answer and they ended up in Gold's living room. There was a centre table between two giant couches with a teapot and three cups already waiting for them, which was certainly bizarre.

"Serve yourself, my boy."

"Of course, thank you," Gideon smiled, pouring some tea for himself and taking a seat when he saw Alice's Dalmatian wandering around there. "Hey, Pongo."

"Come here, boy," Alice said, tapping the place beside her as she sat near Gideon.

Gold slid to an armchair, glancing with narrowed eyes at his niece.

"I've said no dogs in the couch in the couch, Alice," he adverted, but the girl ignored him, petting Pongo mindlessly. "So, I've heard you got a job for my niece, Gideon."

"Yeah, my mom was in need of an assistant which was good, because it means she can avoid the rest of this awful town."

A smirk spread in Gold's lips as he nodded in approval. His eyes were still sad and he had his glance fixed in the boy as he rubbed at a moonstone ring he had in his left hand.

"I totally agree. Storybrooke doesn't have the best residents ever, but what can we do right?" He laughed slightly. "Hiding ourselves is always the best option, apparently."

"Reclusion," Alice mumbled. "Very classy."

Gideon cleaned his throat, feeling awkward in there, with Gold staring at him all the time. He eyed Alice something occurring to him.

_Can I ask how he got three cups of teas ready to go when I arrived?_

_No_ , she replied, harshly.

"I see you have lots of interesting things around, Mr. Gold," he said trying to feel less uncomfortable since wasn't willing to be nice.

"I'm a collector," Gold explained. "Be my guest, take a look of you want."

_Don't stand up._

_Shut up, Alice._

Taking a walk around the room, Gideon analysed quietly the objects placed inside some glassware or displayed in shelves, sipping at his tea as he stopped in front of an interesting section.

"You have a great collection of books," he told Gold. "Good titles."

"I've always liked to read."

Dusting his fingers through some of them, Gideon smiled, continuing with enthusiasm: "My mother would like some of those, she is a great book enthusiastic."

He looked back at the two people sat in the room, noticing how Gold's deep brown eyes looked really lost in nowhere now.

"Your mother, of course," he whispered in a distant voice, adding a little louder: "I don't think there is a book Isabelle French wouldn't enjoy."

Gideon opened his mouth, but for a second he found himself unable to talk.

"Did you know her?"

"Believe it or not, I appreciate libraries, although it's been a long time since I stepped a foot inside one."

"You should," he suggested, making his way back to his seat, "there are many new books arriving lately."

The boy was about to sit again when he felt a hand curling around his wrist and almost jumped with the scare.

"Do you want more sugar?" Mr. Gold asked, looking at his hand and appearing to realise for the first time that he was touching the boy, immediately dropping it.

"No, the tea is perfect."

"In that case," Gold started, "I think you should finish it before Alice accompany you to the door."

"Uh... Alright."

Looking at Alice, he saw that she was as surprised by her uncle's words as he was.

_What was that?_

_I don't know_ , she answered, _he is acting weirder than ever._

Afraid of staying for too long and being expelled from there by the town's freak, Gideon finished his tea, thanked Gold for his hospitality and allowed Alice to take him to the door.

"So, will you go to the library this afternoon?" He asked by the doorframe.

"Sure."

Alice was almost closing the door when he noticed that Rumford had come to stand behind her.

"See you there," the boy said, smiling at his friend and waving at her uncle: "Bye, Mr. Gold."

"Goodbye, son."


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Belle and Rum have an important talk.  
> Alice explain some things to Gideon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh, it seems it took me forever to finish this chapter, but not because I'm being lazy, I swear. My apologies for the lack of update, I'm willing to finish the next chapter of Vowed tomorrow morning.

It was already usual for Isabelle to stay at the Lunae Libri until it was really late, even more now that her research had hit such an interesting and dangerous point. Ruby stayed there with her sometimes, but Belle didn't like to put her into too much risk and most days she would ask to be left alone and send her with some books to read back home.

The brunette was currently sat by the large desk, gloved fingers following the line she was reading as she ran her other hand through her tied hair, sighing as she felt her eyes getting tired for the long time she had been down there, studying every useful document she found. Isabelle was so lost in her book that she didn't hear the steps echoing through the secret library, she only realised she wasn't alone anymore when his shadow covered the light that was allowing her to read and she had to look up.

"Belle," Gold's voice said, softly, her name slipping through his lips like an old song.

Her breath got caught on her throat. Years, it had been years since the last time she had seen him and he had changed a lot since their last goodbye, his hair had gone grey, the lines on his face were deeper. However, he was dressed in one of those elegant suits he so loved, his beautiful brown eyes still looked at her like he was displaying his soul on her feet. Suddenly Belle was pretty aware of the changes the years had made on her own body and she felt grateful that she had dyed her hair recently and pulled on some make up before starting the day, because somehow, she still wanted to impress him.

The man before her, was the one and only love of her life, he still made her heart beat faster and all she wished was to run towards him and throw her arms around his neck, feeling home as he embraced her against his warm body.

"Rum..." Belle murmured, standing up in awe. "What are you doing here?"

No answer came at first, Rumford only stepped back, shaking his head, lips curling in a mask of pain. There was suffering shinning in his eyes.

"He is mine, isn't he?"

She blinked, the question sounding strange to her ears, because she didn't understand why he would come there after all that time of separation just to ask something like this.

"What do mean?"

"Gideon," he said as if the name caused him pain. "Is he my son?"

Belle felt like the whole world had stopped for a moment and she needed to lean against the desk to keep herself steady on her feet. She knew this was coming, but she didn't think it would happen so soon. By the moment she saw Alice why her boy that first day on the library, she knew nothing good could come from their friend, but she couldn't just forbid him from talking to the girl just because she was afraid, as it would sound like madness.

Swallowing hard, Belle looked up at Rumford who was still waiting for her answer, paralysed there with eyes full of tears.

"Yes," she managed to mumble.

It looked like Gold had been beaten by a thousand rocks as he stumbled back, until he hit the cot behind him and let himself fall there, taking a seat as he ran his trembling hands through his hair.

"Oh, Belle... How could you keep this from me?"

"I - " she tried to start, but a hurried excuse didn't sound proper, so she tried to delay it with a story: "Two days before my wedding I was sat on the bathroom floor with a positive pregnancy test in hands. I couldn't think straight, but all I wished was to run to you and tell I was carrying your child. I was going to do it, but then I realised that I couldn't. All the time we've been together, my life was in risk and I didn't care about that, but I had to protect the child and we both know that Gideon would be a target if he was linked to you."

He nodded wordlessly. Of course, he knew it was about his own family they were talking about after all, but it didn't prevent the heartache that came from knowing he had a child with the woman he loved and he never got the chance to raise it, give it his name, teach it the ways of light instead of darkness. It hurt more now that the truth had been confirmed than when he first saw the boy and recognised himself in the lines of his face.

"Eloise," Rumford murmured, looking up to meet Belle's gorgeous blue eyes. "That's because of her, right?"

"Because of Eloise and Archie and many others," Belle counted, her voice sounding weak to her own ears. "But it killed me every day to keep this from you. I saw you in him so many times, Rum..."

"He was there today, at my house, with Alice," Gold told her. "I felt the magic."

A chill passed through her body. She had been fearing the magic for too long now, and as the years went by and she watched her baby boy turn into a toddler, then a kid and now a teenager, she also knew that his powers wete growing stronger too and soon enough, they would get out of control and Belle would have to explain him why he was different from any other boy.

"It's going stronger," she agreed. "He will be as powerful as you."

She saw when Gold's jaw tightened and a rush of fear took her when he suddenly stood up, with a furious expression, approaching her as he let out some harsh words.

"What do you intend to tell him when sunlight becomes a problem? When he starts crave things he can't understand?"

"I - I don't know yet."

When he heard how fearful her voice was, Rumford sighed, trying to get himself under control again, he shouldn't be so angry at her. She was brave and he had always admiried that on her, but he couldn't help feeling guilty for everything he lost with his son.

"You should have told me, I would have protected you both," he whispered.

"Rum, you told me to go away because you didn't trust yourself not to kill me."

"I was draining the life from you," he stormed out. "And still fight against darkness every single day."

Of all things, he couldn't afford knowing that he was hurting his darling Belle, that everything they found blissfulness in each other’s arms she wouldn't awake for a really long time because he had taken all her energy to himself. And while he felt good and renovated, she was laying pale on the bed, the light of his days fading more each time he touched her.

She was healthy again now, cheeks coloured with anger, of how they were blaming the other repeatedly when it wasn't anybody's fault.

"And how was I supposed to make it through when you and your whole family were a threat?" Isabelle yelled. "Do you think it didn't hurt me to marry another when I loved you? When I was going to have your baby?"

"That's not what I said," he remarked.

Taking a deeper breath, Belle approached him, avoiding his eyes, and letting her glance wander to the floor as she confessed something she had only shared with two people during her whole life.

"Gaston found out quickly," she told him. "I was far too long into the pregnancy to deny that he wasn't the father. He hated me for fifteen years, Rum. And I couldn't even cry when we buried him, because I despised that man, because all I remembered about him was his harsh words whenever he threw my infidelity in my face."

"I'm sorry," he hurried to say, his heart aching with the weight of her words. All this time he thought she was loved and happy she was as miserable as he. "I've always know we should have not get involved."

Lips tightened in a line, Belle took the last step into his direction, encircling her arms around his waist and looking deep into his brown depths.

"But we did, or don't you remember how many times these books were the witnesses of our love?"

"I could never forget," he breathed. "I just... I'm angry, alright? I have always wanted a life with you; a family. Now I know that I have a son who have no idea I am his father."

Belle cupped his face, adoring how age had only made him look more handsome than he was before. She could feel his fingers caressing the exposed skin of her arms, holding her closer and she wanted was to never let go again.

"Forgive me, Rumford." Belle begged. "I know I was weak, but I was just a mother trying to protect her child."

"You did the right thing," Rum admitted. "It is just hard to face."

Caressing his jaw with the tip of her nose, Belle let her eyes close as she murmured: "I love you."

Then he lips found his and she felt her knees become jelly, while she opened her mouth to him, giving in to the moment and losing herself into that passionated kiss, one of a kind she hadn't shared with anyone but him, because the love they shared made it stronger. She clutched against Rumford like her life depended on it, a sudden need to sleep becoming higher inside her.

"No," Gold pulled away, leaving her to lean against the desk again, completely dizzy. "I can feel myself draining your strength."

"It's ok, I'm willing to give it to you."

"You can't, it's been a really long time since I fed from a human instead of dreams, I'll knock you out for days, even with just a deeper kiss, and you need to go home to our son," Rum explained. "We need to keep him away from Alice."

It was madness. Belle knew that letting the secret of her son's real father slip through her mouth was already dangerous and being with Rumford again was twice a risk, but she had been willing to talk to him for a while now and she needed his help if she had any hopes to save them all.

"I will," Belle promised, "but I still have time and I think you should get some strength. Read the research when I faint, I found something out and it is no good."

"Belle - "

She laid down on the cot, offering him a hand as he temptively set himself above her, making heat pool on her belly. Belle knew that she would be sound asleep in no time, but it didn't prevent her from wanting more than she would get now.

"Just kiss me," she whispered to the Incubus.

Gold bent his head, capturing her lips and letting his hands travel along the curved of her body, as he felt himself get renewed by her vital energy. His hair slowly got darker, his shape, slimmer, and he moaned against her mouth when he felt his powers getting stronger. That was when Belle stopped to answer to his ministrations, her body getting flaccid beneath him.

He sat up beside her, kissing her knuckles and caressing her face, the guilty of exhausted her so quickly making him feel worst. Rumford reached for her working table and opened the large title-less black book she had left there, heart skipping a beat when he noticed the high lightened names in the family tree right at the first page.

Turning it, he faced the first notes she did and realised that the darkness he had been fighting all this time was about to come back, stronger.

"Oh, sweetheart..." Rum murmured. "What a burden you've been carrying."

* * *

 

Gideon finished his dinner and allowed Mrs. Potts to take his plate, putting it on the sink. He glanced at the living room, wondering if he could take some time to watch a movie before bed, when the woman turned around, placing a hand on the table in front of him with those narrowed eyes that indicated that she had something tough on her mind.

"I've got a message from your mother, she is staying at Ruby's today, so I'm looking for you, which means it is bed time."

A long deep sigh left him. Gideon hated when his mother went to Ruby's house to work until late, because that meant Mrs. Potts would be watching every step he took with clever eyes. However, he couldn't complain much about it, both because he knew his nanny was only very restrictive because she loved him and because his mother needed some time for herself even if just to do research with her friend.

"Of course, Mrs. Potts," he mumbled, standing up. "Goodnight."

"Gideon," she stopped him before he could leave the kitchen. "I know you didn't go to school this morning. So, watch out, boy, I don't want you getting involved with the Golds."

That same old story again. As his mother showed no true concern about his friendship with Alice, Mrs. Potts seemed to be going mad with it. The look on her face let it clear how much she despised the Gold family and he couldn't understand why, as Mrs. Potts wasn't like the rest of the town, who would judge Alice by her uncle's reputation, but when it came about them, she seemed to have some big mistrust coming to surface.

"Alright," he nodded, knowing if he answered differently they would end up engaged in a pointless argument.

Gideon headed upstairs, opening his bedroom's door, intending to spent sometime reading under the low lights before he heard Mrs. Potts coming up to check if he was really sleeping, but when he glanced towards his bed, he found Alice laid in there, playing with his basket ball.

"Hi," she smiled.

"Alice," Gideon almost choked with despair. "What are you doing here and how did you get inside my room?"

"The window was open and the tree is close to it?" Alice shrugged, sitting up and throwing the ball to him.

Getting it, Gideon placed the ball back to its place looking at the huge tree outside his window and wondering how that crazy girl managed to climb it when he never got to do it, no matter how many times he tried when he was younger.

"Mrs. Potts is down there!"

"Oh, the nanny?"

"Get out," Gideon insisted, worried about how he would ever explain to Mrs. Potts that he hadn't invited Alice to come over, but she entered his bedroom by the window.

She would never believe him and he would be locked inside that house for the rest of his life, grounded for being disobidient.

"Relax, she is not going to hear us," Alice said, snapping her fingers and making the room glow.

Gideon gasped.

"What did you do?"

"A little magic trick, now sit down before you pass out," Alice commanded, noticing how pale his cheeks went. "You've always knew I wasn't because of the things people say about my uncle."

Falling down to his bed by her side, Gideon glanced at Alice noticing the way she tickled her fingers in the air.

"Yeah, but I wasn't expecting that. So, what are you?"

"Powerful?" She smirked, before going for a full explanation: "They call us 'casters', because we can cast spells."

If he hadn't seen so many proofs of her said magic, he would never believe this, actually he would have agreed with the rest of Storybrooke's residents and said she was definitely crazy, but she had just made his room glow and they talked telephatically earlier, so he had nothing else to do but to treat this the most normally he could.

"So, you're basically a sorceress?"

"Guess you can say that," Alice agreed.

"And your uncle is one of them too?"

This time her nose wrinkled and he understood there was more to her world than he could see.

"Not exactly but this is not the time to talk about him, I want to know more about you," she said. "You have my secret, now share yours with me."

"Mine?" Gideon chuckled. "Let me see, I lived in Storybrooke my whole life, my mother is the most inteligent woman I know, my dad was a drunk bastard that apparently never liked me and sometimes Mrs. Potts says weird enigmatic things."

Alice rolled her eyes, seeing that he obvious didn't got her point. He was in the dark, just like she always suspected and she wondered which answers she would get if she tried to have this same conversation with his mother.

"That's no what I'm talking about!"

"So, what do you want to hear? Because that's all I've got to share."

Grabbing his hand, Alice felt the electricity of his magic hitting her fingertips.

"You have power Gideon, haven't you realised that yet?"

"Power?" He blinked another laugh coming up through his throat.

Now, the boy thought that she was a bit mad, but as Alice sat on the window, projecting herself out in the tree direction, he saw a flicker of pity in her eyes that couldn't be mistaken.

"Yes, I can feel it, and if you concentrate enough, so will you."

Then she disappeared into the night, leaving him to wonder if he was the person he always thought himself to be or not.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gideon wants Alice to teach him to use his powers.  
> Rum and Belle talk about her research.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm quite proud of myself for managing to finish these chapters even while I'm struggling with this horrible nausea, but well I guess I just can't keep myself from writing for too long. This story really excites me.

There was still a lot in Alice's mind when she woke up that morning. After she left Gideon's house, she had returned to find hers in complete silence and even thought it could mean that her uncle had already retired to sleep, she bet it wasn't the case, a part of her was pretty sure he wasn't home, because most days he stayed downstairs until late, reading, playing piano or just practicing magic until he was sure most of Storybrooke's residents were asleep and he could sneak to their houses to steal part of their dreams to feed himself.

She sat on the bed lazily and gathered the needed courage to start to get ready for school. Then, she went to the dining room, where the breakfast was set and her uncle was already eating.

"Good morning, Alice," Rumford greeted her.

Thinking her eyes might be fooling her, Alice rubbed them, but nothing changed, which made her jaw drop in surprise. From the last time she saw her uncle las night to now, he had gotten slimmer, his hair gotten darker and the little smirk in his lips showed that he was in a better mood than yesterday. She slid to the empty chair on his left side and fixed her gaze on him.

"Uncle, what happened to you?"

"Nothing," he answered without changing his expression.

"You look... Quite different."

Placing his teacup back to the saucer, uncle Rum sighed his deep brown eyes lifting to look straight at her. He was hiding something, she knew it.

"I got to collect lots of dreams last night," Rumford explained. "I feel really good today. So, what do you think about training after school?"

Alice quickly bit some pieces of toast, shaking her head negatively at him, denying the invite. Training was the very reason why she was there in Storybrooke again, but now Alice had some quests on her own, and it was good, because it distracted her, preventing the girl from thinking about her inevitable birthday.

"I have to work, old man," Alice said, "they need me in the library."

"Oh yeah, I forgot," her uncle replied, what she thought to be odd, because he never simply excused herself this way. "Just be home soon, then."

Finishing her toast, she picked an apple from the centre of the table and stood up, grabbing her backpack and furrowing at her uncle's clear change.

"Alright, see ya."

* * *

 

Gideon couldn't stop thinking about the things Alice said. He laid wide awake on his bed after she left trying to concentrate, just like the girl suggested and see if these said powers came up to surface, but he felt literally nothing. After a while he started to think himself an idiot for believing those things; he wasn't a superhero or anything like that, he was just normal and he had been like that for his whole life.

Maybe Alice was making fun of him, she had powers, yes, he saw them, but it was impossible for him to share a gift like that, even if he was able to communicate telepathically with her. Concluding he shouldn't be fantasying about being a magical creature, Gideon slip inside his bedcovers and slept until the next morning, when Mrs. Potts rudely knocked on his door saying he would be late for school.

The boy took a quick shower, got himself dressed and went downstairs, finding a plate full of pancakes already placed in front of his usual seat. Gideon sat there serving himself with some orange juice, taking a sip as he let his eyes wander to the chubby woman in front of the sink.

"Morning, Mrs. Potts," he said, calling her attention and making the redhead glanced quickly at him. "Have you seen my mother?"

"She is not coming home today," the housekeeper informed. "Apparently she went to the University to pick some documents she needed."

That wasn't any news for Gideon. His mother was a teacher at the nearest University to the town until the year before his father died. She studied there and was still constantly involved with the search department, so sometimes she would go over there to do some work, just like Ruby.

"Right," the boy nodded, eating his breakfast slowly, still thinking about the events of the day prior. He looked up at his former nanny, trying to decide if he should really ask her what he wanted to. "Mrs. Potts, what do you really know about the Golds? I've heard people calling them freaks and saying Alice is a witch."

"Old stories," she shrugged. "You know, there was another old Gold before Rumford."

It was new for him. Gideon had always heard rumours about Mr. Gold, but he thought they referred to just one person.

"What? Really?"

"Yeah, his father, Malcolm. He was married to two different women, Fiona and Cora. Left them both with young children to raise," Mrs. Potts told him. "They are no good, you should stay away from them."

Of course, she needed to remark this every time the subject came into discussion. However, it was the first time she shared any useful information about the Gold family. He wondered if Rumford was the son of the same woman who was Alice's grandmother or not.

"I know," Gideon agreed, finishing his juice. "But don't you think there is something really magical about them?"

Mrs. Potts furrowed.

"What do you mean?"

She had that look on her eyes, the dangerous one, and Gideon hurried to stand up, heading to the door before Mrs. Potts could start an interrogatory.

"Nothing," he said innocently, spotting Roderick waiting for him in front of his mother's car. "Oh, Rod is waiting, bye Mrs. Potts!"

He left the house, fishing the car keys from his jean's pocket, opening the door without even saying hello to his best friend. Roderick, who always expected a warm welcoming narrowed his eyebrows at Gideon who was already turning the car on.

"Are you on a rush?"

"Yes,” the boy said, not wanting to give Mrs. Potts the change of going outside just for the fun of getting him to repeat what he said. “Now, come on, get in the car."

* * *

 

When school was over, Alice took the Cadillac and headed over the library, her mind occupied with the thoughts of her classmates increasing provocations. Today they had written the word “freak” on her locker and even though she pretended it didn’t bother her, the act made tears come to her eyes and the sudden need of leaving that place to never go back, burning on her chest. Getting out of the car, she entered the library seeing Ruby working by the circulation desk.

"Hi."

"Hello, missy,” Ruby greeted her with her ever-large smile. “I hope you're not going to leave us again."

Alice shooked her head, smiling back at her. Being there was like breathing fresh air and knowing that her absence was felt, made her heart jump happily.

"No, I just wasn't feeling well," she explained, feeling kind of bad for lying. "Where is Belle?"

Ruby’s eyebrow narrowed as she passed the records faster between her fingers, almost as if she was concerned or even angry with something. What Gideon’s mother had to do with this, Alice had no idea.

"Out of town,” the woman murmured, distractedly, “she probably will be back tonight."

"Oh, alright."

After that, she just went to the backroom of the library to start organizing the books that had been returned recently. No much people read in this town, Alice realised, because there was always a quite low number of books to be returned to its places and most of the ones which were on the messy table at the centre of the room, were placed there by one of the librarians. She thought it was a pity, because they had really good titles and Storybrooke’s closed-minded residents could use some enlightening reading.

The closed sign had just been turned, when Alice got out of the library that afternoon, meaning to go straight to the Cadillac, but she found Gideon waiting for her outside, just like Pongo, who was unable of spending a full day without following her around town and appearing in the most unexpected places.

"You avoid me at school," the boy accused.

"No, I didn't, I was just busy," she rolled her eyes. "What is up?"

He was wearing a black coat and hanging there in the shadows, he resembled her uncle more than never. His warm brow eyes were wide with excitement, his lips playing that half-smile and a unique curiosity seemed to emanate from him.

"I want you to teach me!"

"Teach you?” Alice chuckled. "Are you failing so miserably in your tests that you need my help now?"

"No, I'm talking about magic."

Taking a deep breath, she regretted coming to his room last night to give him the explanations she thought he deserved. She couldn’t have done that without knowing completely what was going on around there and she couldn’t just throw all of her suspicions to Gideon, because it would only confuse him more. And that would be anything helpful.

"Look, Gideon, I don't think this is a good idea."

"Why not?"

"Because I'm still learning and because I don't our abilities are not the same," she said, quite hesitant.

A puzzled look took his face. There was no way she could keep being his friend without complicating things and sharing bits of what she knew and theorised to him, specially now that he knew about her power. And most important: about his own.

"What do you mean?"

The girl breathed deeply, before asking: "Do you have some free time for reading?"

"Of course."

She opened the Cadillac’s door and threw her things on the passenger’s seat, knowing she shouldn’t be doing any of this. Alice already had a lot of problems on her own to worry about Gideon’s.

"Then meet me in the garden beside my house tomorrow morning."

With those last words, she entered the car and went away.

* * *

 

Belle woke up feeling sore. She sat up on the cot, dizzy, hungry and thirsty, but it didn’t take more than a few seconds to a hand appear in front of her, offering a cup. When she looked up, she realised it was Rumford.

"Here, drink some water," he commanded.

Taking the cup from his, she drank it all as if her life depended on it. Belle had already experienced many mornings, afternoons and evenings like this, when she woke up after Rum fed from her vital forces during one of their love acts and she spent days asleep gathering strength to open her eyes again. She had never complained about that, but it did make her feel quite ill for some time until she ate something and sat by the sunlight.

"Thank you," she whispered to him, smiling gently as he took the empty cup from her hands and placed it on the table near them before sitting by her side. "How long has it been?"

"A full day, but you gave me all the strength I needed, I can control myself now, my touch won't do much harm," Rumford guaranteed, cupping her cheek with his warm hand.

"Good," Isabelle smiled, kissing his wrist as she slowly stood on her feet, looking around the Lunae Libri in an attempt to locate her purse. "I should go home, Gideon needs me."

She found the purse and went straight to it, picking her keys and trying to find the package of cookies that shall be somewhere inside there. Having a snack before getting out of there was the best thing she could do for herself, but before she could find it, she felt Rum’s hands on her elbows, his breath on her hair.

"Belle," he murmured. "When did you find out that my father was alive?"

"A couple of months ago," she told him, worrying at her lip as she turned around to face the Incubus, "I swear, I was going to tell you, but I needed to find everything out first."

He nodded, sighing as he played with her hair.

"Are you sure about what he is trying to do?"

"Yes, and that frightens me, because Gideon seems to be exactly the kind of Hybrid he is looking for," Belle murmured, tears filling her eyes, at the mere thought of something bad happening to her precious boy. "Your father is trying the wrong things."

Her research had been long and tiring, but she knew that something was wrong between the supernatural kind. Ruby and her had talked to a lot of people, intercepted lots of letters and even sent fake messages alongside the books they sent to them from the Lunae Libri. And then it came, the news that Malcolm Gold was alive and planning something mischievous.

"He would be surprised to discover that it takes breeding with a Mortal to have what he wants," Rum chuckled humourlessly, kissing her brow tenderly. His story with his father wasn’t a good one and the two of them shared mutual hate. "He always despised your kind."

"I know."

"My love,” he started, breathing in the fragrance of her perfume. “I need to keep you safe. Please, consider moving in with me."

Belle shooked her head. She wanted this and it wasn’t a recent fact; she had waned to share her life with him for too long now, but it was never possible and their sudden approximation couldn’t be taken so fast, mainly now when everything was so uncertain and they were facing hard times.

"I can't," she said, placing a kiss on his chin. "That will only alert everybody to the fact that I know something dangerous. Mrs. Potts has the house protected, so believe me, I'm safe and so is our son."

"I miss you so much," Rum muttered against her ear, nuzzling his nose against her soft kiss.

"Me too," she answered and it was almost a moan, because he started to nibble at her earlobe and that still drove her crazy. "Can... Can we meet again?"

"Aye," he agreed, pulling away to look at her beautiful eyes. "Go home now, but meet me in my study tomorrow night. I'll be waiting."

The tone of his voice, husky and low made a shiver pass through her body, a certain impatience to be alone with him again knowing that she wouldn’t have to rush away from him like now.

"It's a date," Belle smiled.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mrs. Potts is angry at Belle.  
> Alice shares more of her world with Gideon.

It was Saturday morning and Gideon was facing a sketch book as he drew the lines of the hood that covered the woman’s face. He had been dreaming about her for some weeks now, but his dreams always ended up at the same point: he tried to reach for her, then there was the unmistakable sound of a shot and suddenly, he died. Or better, he woke up, but somehow Gideon knew it was the end of the dream, because it was the end of him.

The boy finished the draw, facing the woman’s delicate lines, which looked so identical to the face that had been haunting his dreams and took a deeper breath, closing the sketch book and looking up at the ceiling. Things weren’t right anymore. He wasn’t supposed to be dreaming about inexistent people and thinking about himself as a magical being or urging to be at the garden and get more answers about powers he knew he wasn’t supposed to have.

It seemed like it was yesterday that his drunk father knocked on his door, saying in a languished voice that he was going to the grocery store and he should wash the freaking dishes before leaving. Gaston never came home and it seemed that ever since that day, everything changed in his life.

Standing up, he got the car keys and slipped them to his pocked, already knowing that he wasn’t going to get back there so soon and made his way to the kitchen, where he found Mrs. Potts working in front of the oven and his mother, sat by the breakfast table, dark circles around her eyes, showing that he didn’t have a great night of sleep.

"Hey, mama, I haven’t seen you arriving yesterday," Gideon said, kissing her cheek before sitting by her side and serving himself with some cereal.

"Yeah, I’m sorry, sweetie," Isabelle murmured, holding her teacup tightly. "I had to revise a research for the University and I think I might go back there today, because I wasn’t able to finish all the work."

Lifting the spoon to his own mouth, Gideon took sometimes chewing the cereal to think about the right answer. What he truly wanted was to ask his mother to stay home with him, so he could talk to her about the things that were bothering him and confusing his mind. With her, Gideon knew he could be sincere without expecting any judgement, Belle would hear everything he needed to say and she would do it with an open mind. But of course, she wasn’t going to be around time enough for them to have a real conversation.

"Oh," he mumbled. "Alright, but I'll miss you."

"And so, will I," his mother replied. "Be good to Mrs. Potts, ok?"

Nodding Gideon started to eat in silence again. He loved his mother very much, but along the last year it seemed that something had changed her; he didn’t think it was his father’s death, because Gaston was only cruel to Belle, most of the time. However, he couldn’t deny that she was different, more secretive and staying at the library until late night, doing a research he never knew nothing about.

When he finished his breakfast, Gideon washed his bowl and spoon, got his school bag and stopped beside Belle, watching as she traced invisible lines at the table, eyes appearing to be slightly hopeless, before he laid a hand on her shoulder and she glanced up at him with a huge smile.

"Listen, I have to finish some homework with Roderick, so, I see you by dinner or will you be already gone?"

"No, I'll eat with you," Isabelle promised. "Take care of yourself."

Gideon kissed the top of her head and disappeared through the hallway. It only took the needed time for the car’s noises to be distant to Mrs. Potts to turn around, resting both hands on her own hips as she faced Belle with narrowed eyes.

"He is not going to Roderick's and you were not at the University when you said you were," the housekeeper accused. "What happened this time?"

"Nothing," she shrunk.

"You can't fool me, Isabelle. _Speak_."

Her tone was authoritarian and commanding. Belle knew best than to anger Mrs. Potts, but she didn’t wish to bring more worries to her house, when she already had so many in her own mind. The last thing she wanted was to have more people concerned, even though she knew it would be only a matter of time before the housekeeper learned the truth.

"Gold found everything out," Belle sighed. "He knows Gideon is his son. And I didn't come home because I was with him."

"Are you mad, woman?" Mrs. Potts yelled, making her jump on her seat. "Do you know the threat these people are for your boy?"

"Yes, I know and that's why I told Rumford the truth. I may not like to admit it, but I will need his power," the brunette remarked. "He is the only one who can protect our son."

For the first time since she spoke with Gold, Belle was being sincere with someone, of course Ruby knew everything, but she had watched their whole forbidden love story at front seat and surely didn’t waste time leaving her a note saying how stupid she was being now. But Ruby, differently from her, thought they could face the darkness alone and, Belle who had already seen much of it was pretty sure that without help, they would all die.

"I protected the house. And I'm trying to protect Gideon, but he keeps getting involved with Alice," Mrs. Potts bounced, a flicker of despair appearing on her shaky voice. "The boy seems to seek danger, just like you."

"I know, my old friend and I'm grateful for everything you're doing, but we both know that you're not as powerful as an Incubus," Belle said, reaching for her hand, squeezing it gently. "And when Malcolm comes... He will want my son."

* * *

 

Alice was already waiting when Gideon arrived the garden. She was sat near the place where they found the chain that apparently cause the vision they had about her uncle, a pile of books by her side as she wrote something in a notebook. Gideon approached her with a smirk on his lips.

"Study time?" He inquired, dropping his backpack to the ground before sitting beside the blonde girl.

She looked at him with a frown, clearly not in her best mood. Gideon hoped he could fully understand her someday, but as much as she seemed to be willing to share some bits of her life with him, the girl was still a closed book. Or better, a mystery book, and it would take time to solve all of her.

"You think yourself so funny..." Alice contemplated with disdain. "This is serious."

"I know, I'm sorry."

He reached for one of the books in the pile beside her, moving to sit face to face with Alice so he could have a better access to them. Gideon had never seen something that looked so ancient as those books; their covers were made with dark leather, the titles, all very fantasying and confusing, written with what he thought to be golden ink.

"See? There is very proof you are magical," Alice pointed out. "Mortals can't touch these books directly without burning their fingers."

"Nice," Gideon grumbled, wondering if this was some kind of test. "So where do we start?"

Taking the book from his hands, Alice opened it and flipped some pages, until she found what she wanted and placed it back to his lap.

"Here, Incubus."

"What is this? Another kind of witch?"

"No," the girl rolled her eyes. "They are mostly dark creatures who feed themselves from Mortals."

Of course, he wasn't a stupid person, he was raised by a mother who was a scholar and a librarian, obsessed with books and acknowledgment, he knew the obvious answer was not always the right one, but he couldn't help letting slip through his lips the first thing that came to his mind.

"Oh, so basically vampires?"

"Don't be stupid, vampires don’t exist," Alice exclaimed, as if she now thought he was an idiot. "They don't feed themselves from blood they... Well, they feed from their vital energy during _intimate acts_."

A strong blush came to her cheeks and the girl looked away as he processed the information. Intimate acts. He could feel himself blushing now too.

"Oh."

"Yeah, oh," she coughed. "So, I think you're one of these."

Eyes getting wide, Gideon felt offended.

"Wait, I'm not some kind of manic."

"Of course, not," Alice bounced tapping a finger to the opened page of the book he still had, but that was completely forgotten by the boy. "And you wouldn't be now anyway because an Incubus is only complete in power when it reaches the age of twenty. Until then, you're almost normal."

In actual fact, Gideon's had was spinning. That couldn't be true. He couldn't be a monster obsessed with hunting woman down to make himself strong and powerful. And yet, he had his hand firmly wrapped around the book and they weren't burning.

"Sure," he muttered, trying to cope with everything she said.

"My uncle is one of a kind. He doesn't feed himself from woman's strength," Alice continued. "He steals dreams instead."

"Really?"

"It doesn't work the same way, because it means he is fighting his inner darkness, but it keeps him alive."

Internally the boy celebrated those words. So, there was another way. If he was really an Incubus he didn't need to be a monster, he could be a cool guy who occasionally invaded people's dreams. It wasn't _that bad_.

"Well, your uncle is very brave," Gideon praised.

"He uses to say he is a coward."

"I don't think so," the boy smiled. "But what brings you to the conclusion that I'm an Incubus and not anything else?"

Alice sighed.

"The power I feel in you is different from mine. It's like the one I feel in uncle Rum."

"That might explain why you think I look like him," Gideon chuckled.

The blonde girl laughed slightly, as she analysed her friend's expression, recognising the lines of his chin, eyes and ears from someone who she knew for an entire life. It wasn't a theory for her anymore but an undeniable truth and she thought it was only a matter of time for either Gideon or her uncle to realise that.

"You have no idea," she whispered under her breath.

"What?"

"Nothing. Hold my hand," Alice asked and so did the boy. "What do you feel?"

Gideon concentrated in trying to notice something that wasn't the smoothness of her palms against his, until a strange feeling settled in him.

"It's like tickles on my fingers," he told her.

"Concentrate," she commanded. "Think about lifting."

He did and in a slip second all the fallen leaves around them where fluttering, held in the air by a magic Gideon didn't knew until now. He could now feel the great power that emanated from him keeping the leaves in place and he felt good as if for the first time in his life he was doing exactly what he was meant to.

"Whoa."

"You, my dear, Gideon," Alice started, very slowly, "is definitely gifted."

That was when the world got twisted. In a second he was about to pull away from her hand and start trying to make other magic tricks, although he had no idea how, and in the other, he was observing a scene that clearly took place inside the Gold Manor. He recognised the living room, even though the furniture was different, darker and with no big piano or shelves full of collective items there, but it was still the same.

The front door opened to reveal a younger Rumford Gold walking in and taking off his coat, before someone stopped behind him.

"Where were you?" An older man asked Gold.

"Studying," Rum shrugged walking away from the man.

"Liar. You were with that Mortal girl again," he inquired, a smirk on his lips as he followed the boy. "Did you have some fun, lad?"

"I'm going to sleep."

Rumford's tone was cold and the frown on his face let it clear that the last thing he wanted was to be having this conversation.

"You look healthy. I can almost feel the strength of your powers," the man pointed out. "I bet you screw her until she was senseless."

"Shut up," Rum yelled.

There was a loud noise of glass breaking and then the living room's floor was full of small pieces of it. All the windows had been broken by Gold's unbridled powers.

"That's what I like to see," laughed the other man. "But don't get much attached. We all know that you'll end up killing her in the end. And please do our family a favour and prevent yourself from getting the little bitch knocked up. Our magic fade in Mortal's blood and we want a strong line."

With these words, Rumford exploded. In a minute he was heading to the staircase, in the other he was attacking the man and making him fall on the floor as a punch hit his chin.

"You don't talk this way about her ever again, did you hear me?"

"No, you hear me, lad," he said behind clenched teeth changing positions and grounding Rumford on the floor, a hand firmly pressed to his throat, making him choke. "You better kill her soon or I'll will do it for you."

A gasp left Gideon's mouth as he came back to his senses. When he looked up he realised that Alice was wearing the chain they had found there.

"Your uncle again," Gideon complained, standing up before they had the chance of being dragged to another vision.

"Yes," Alice confirmed. "And my grandfather, Malcolm. I think now I know why they hated each other."

She quickly picked her things and headed back to the Manor, taking off the chain while she did so. First day of lessons was over.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Who is Gideon dreaming with?


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ruby gives an odd object to Gideon.  
> Belle meets Gold again.

After what happened at the garden, Gideon needed sometime for himself in which he didn't think about anything, just breathed fresh air and felt normal, however it didn't happen until he had a nice dinner with his mother and she left for work and Mrs. Potts was already sleeping soundly on her room. He didn't take the car because he knew the sound of it being turned on would wake the housekeeper and he would be grounded, so Gideon took the quite long walk from his house to the only grocery store in town that stayed open all night long.

Storybrooke was quiet by now, only a few people - who were interested in drinking at The Rabbit Hole - walking around there. Gideon entered the store and moved to the section he wanted, opening the freezer where the ice-cream was kept to pick some, when he heard somebody cleaning its throat behind him and turned around.

"Trying to escape bedtime, Gideon?" Ruby asked, arching an eyebrow. "Mrs. Potts is going to kill you."

The boy chuckled.

"Hey, aunt Ruby, I just needed some ice-cream."

"Right me too," she said trying to look over his shoulder and failing, because Gideon was really taller than her. "Do we have strawberry?"

They bought the ice-cream and went out of the grocery store without another word, both too occupied with their spoons to say anything. But Gideon, however, wasn't just distracted eating, he also couldn't help himself thinking about the power he felt in himself earlier. It was like he could feel each one of the leaves he lifted in that garden.

"So," Ruby started, "what is bothering you?"

She was reclined against her car's door, just like Gideon, her eyes glued on him, like they could see his very soul. Ruby had always been one of the people he most felt secure around, and he really trusted her with everything he had, but for some reason, Gideon couldn't find the will in himself to tell her the truth.

"Nothing," the boy murmured instead.

"Really?" The librarian rolled her eyes. "Gideon, I know you since you were inside your mother's tummy. Tell me the truth."

Taking a deep breath, he let his plastic spoon fall inside the ice-cream bowl, giving his black boots a frustrated glance.

"It's Alice Jones," Gideon confided to his mother's best friend. "She is making my head blow."

A look of full concern crossed Ruby's face.

"Are you in love with her?"

"With Alice?" Gideon guffawed. "Are you mad? Of course not, she is my friend."

That was one of the most absurd thing he had heard lately, and he did hear a lot of crazy stuff in the last few days. Alice was beautiful and funny but he couldn't see her like anything but a friend. She had become like a sister to him.

"Then what is happening?" Ruby asked, clearly relieved.

"She is quite different, you know," Gideon started, but he wasn't sure what he should say or how, so he made a crazy question: "Do you believe in magic, aunt Ruby?"

Laughing a little, Ruby lifted her eyebrows to him.

"Magic? Like witches and unicorns?"

"Something like that," Gideon murmured, shrinking a little. He was slightly ashamed for asking this kind of crazy stuff to Ruby and hoped that she wouldn't comment anything with his mother, because it made him feel stupid. "Listen, I'm not mad, ok? I just need a good night of sleep."

Taking some steps ahead, the boy made his way across the street, hearing the sounds of Ruby's high heels against the floor as she followed him.

"Gideon, wait," she called, reaching for him and grabbing his arm. Ruby had something in her hands that was probably taken from her half-opened big purse and she took his hand, placing it there. "I stole this from your mother some years ago, but I think you should carry it with yourself."

"A box?" He asked, eyes dropping to the thing he now had in hands.

It had some runes - or at least he thought they were runes - notched in it. Seemed to be some kind of useless relic, but exactly the kind of object his mother would have in her collection of precious unique things. However, he didn't understand which was the function of carrying it around and his confusion must be very showy as Ruby appeared to be compelled to give him a better explanation.

"It's called Pandora's box," she said. "It's for protection."

"You're sounding like Mrs. Potts," Gideon chuckled. "But, well, thank you."

Ruby nodded and watched him go away, wondering if the time came, Gideon would be able to use the box.

* * *

 

The look of surprise in Rumford's face when he opened the door to find Belle waiting there, was priceless. She had left her car parked at Ruby's house and went to the library, where she took the elevator and sneaked around the tunnels, but instead of heading to the Lunae Libri as usual, going through the path that lead to her love's office. It was a hidden place right under his bedroom at Gold Manor and had been at this same door step that she deposited so many books with secret messages along the years.

"You're here," Rumford said in awe.

"You invited me."

"Aye," he agreed with a little laugh, giving her space to step inside and gesticulating with his head to the staircase that lead to an open hole on the ceiling. "Come in, let's get inside the house."

Belle opened her mouth, but for a moment, nothing came. Of course, she wanted to give herself the luxury of not hesitating at the invitation, however she had other things to think about aside from her own will.

"But Alice - "

"Knows best than to dare entering my room," Rum finished. "And I have spells cast around it."

"Are you sure?" She asked, worrying at her lip.

"Yes," he confirmed, "now make yourself at home."

Nodding, still a bit uncertain, Isabelle climbed up the stairs, emerging in Rumford's large bedroom. She had never come to this house before, because when they met, his father still lived there and she could never step a foot inside that place without being killed. Now it was strange to be there, but the room was, at the same time huge and cosy, dark woodened furniture, carmine bedsheets and a golden duvet on the bed.

Belle looked back at Rum and he gave her an encouraging wave of his head, clearly inviting her to take a better look around and so she did, passing her finger through his dresser, eyeing his small bookshelf and then ending up in front of the nightstand where a picture of them was placed. The brunette laid a hand on her heart, sighing deeply before she took a seat on the bed, opening her bag and taking of the large file she had taken from the Lunae Libri.

"I brought the research in case you want to get a better explanation," Belle smiled, pointing at it.

"That would be great," Rumford agreed, sitting in the opposite end of the bed, and taking a look at the page where she opened the file.

It was a map of the state, with red points draw with a pen in it. Belle slid her fingers through the surface, touching the points with a distant look.

"So these are all the places where Ruby and I could track your father for the last few years," she told him. "I've only found out that he was alive some months ago, but there were clues and Ruby and I searched for them all around, until we got our answer."

"I wonder why he pretended to be dead all this time when he always liked to expose his dark plans to everyone."

"For this one here, he needed to be quiet," Belle shrugged as if it explained everything.

And in part it did. It was a plausible reason for Malcolm to be hidden away, so very hidden, that nobody distrusted that. However, it didn't explain his motivations or any bit of the mess he seemed to be creating.

"My father is getting crazy," Rumford murmured.

"It is not just him."

"I know," he nodded. "I brought Alice here hoping that I could keep Eloise away from her, but now... It seems she is a small threat compared to the chaos Malcolm can cause."

Reaching for his hand, Belle gently squeezed it, and his glance, at first fixed on the page and then in their joined hands, came up to her face, and he saw the despair in there.

"I fear for our son's safety," she whispered.

"I won't let anything happen to him, Belle, I promise," Rumford vowed, kissing her knuckles. "I would give my life if that meant the boy can live."

With her free hand, Belle wiped some tears that threatened falling from her eyes; she was feeling more sensible now than never. It was like her heart was about to burst with all the accumulated sadness, concern and heartache. Now she was there with Rum, but it felt like it wasn't going to last and that was terrifying.

"But what if your father wants to drag him to the darkness instead of killing him?" She inquired.

Rumford didn't know which possibility scared him the most, but of one thing he was sure: he hadn't raised Gideon or done one single thing for him during the boy's whole life and now it wasn't only fatherly love he felt for him, but a duty to protected him that was so strong that couldn't even be explained. That boy was the child he always wished to have and he wasn't going to let his father get any near to him.

"We don't know how Gideon's powers will work for now and neither does my father," the Incubus said with hope to bring some peace to his love's heart. "He won't trust something which's fate he can't predict."

"Yeah, I think you're right."

"Talking about fate," he began, rubbing at her fingers with a frown on his face, "did my mother know?"

Eyes closing, Belle nodded.

"Fiona appeared at the Lunae Libri once; I was probably around six months pregnant. She told me to take care good of her grandson, smiled, then left. I never saw her again."

"Damn it," Gold cursed, standing up and starting to walk around the bedroom. "Why would she keep the secret?"

Taking a deeper breath, Belle closed the file, tuck it back into her bag and dropped it on the floor, making a loud bang, which cause Rum to look back at her. He was distressed and she was feeling guilty to see him this way, because he had been fooled by the two people he loved the most: she and his own mother. But Fiona had powers that would have revealed her the truth anyway, she probably only didn't know about Malcolm just yet, because she didn't care about him anymore and her magic only tracked the ones she loved.

"For the same reason I did," Isabelle assured him. "We both knew what could happen to that child if the world knew it was yours."

"I draw danger, I get it."

Rumford collapsed on the bed in front of her, hands covering his own face, but she quickly took them away, pressing a lovely kiss to his forehead.

"And yet, I love you," she whispered. "Do you really still love me, after all this time?"

"I never stopped loving you."

Moving herself up, Belle let her high heels fall beside her bag and straddled herself on each side of his lap, pressing a kiss to his lips. Soon enough it was like Rum had awaken from a long-troubled sleep and he was pushing her up, so they were sat on the bed, lips working against the other's, tongues proving the taste of the other's mouth.

Slowly she started to unbutton his suit jacket and Rumford stilled, gripping at her wrists.

"Belle, no."

"It's alright, Rum," she purred. "We'll be alright."

Sliding his jacket down his shoulders, Belle kissed him again and undid his tie, feeling herself grown anxious as he started to kiss down her throat, which made her feel slightly weak. She knew it would take more time today before she was drained out of energies - as Gold had already fed from her recently and was in his full strength - but Belle didn't want to give herself the bad luck of fainting too soon, so she pulled away from him and took her blouse off.

Rumford's eyes darkened with desire and he hand careful hands through her bare arms with admiration.

"Oh, my perfect little love..."

"I'm not the same," Belle mumbled a little unsure of how the years had passed for herself.

"Neither am I," Gold remembered.

Then he kissed her with all the love he had and they rolled in the bed, more layers coming off until they were joined as one. She clutched herself to him, eyes closed and mouth half-open in delight; it still felt the same and her memory hadn't betrayed her on how good it really was. Feeling him move within her, made Belle want to cry, but not because it was hurting she was hardly a virgin and he was really gentle containing himself to prolong her pleasure, but because it never felt like this any time her horrible husband had touched her.

And being in his arms again, wasn't just about bliss, about reaching any state of ecstasy, it was about loving and feeling loved. So, she told Rum she loved him, more than a few times and he said sweet nothings to her ear until they both exploded into the amazing sensation their bodies created and he filled her with warmth.

Belle didn't stay awake for more than a couple of minutes then, but Rum kept up all night, not actually needing to sleep and not really wanting to when he had the love of his life wrapped in his arms.

"I will fight this Belle, I will fight the darkness for everything we lost and all we can still have," he murmured to her, even though he knew that she couldn't hear. "For our love and for our family."

* * *

 

Gideon had stared at the Pandora's box the whole way home. It was weird, but he seemed to feel the same tickles on his fingertips from when the touched Alice's hands earlier and that intrigued him. But eventually he needed to sleep, so she made his way to the front door when he heard steps behind him.

"Gideon."

"Today is the day," the boy murmured under his breath, turning around to see one of the most despicable woman in town. "Hello, Mrs. Belfrey."

"Shouldn't your mother keep you home this late?"

She had her arms folded and her chin lifted as high as possible. Gideon thought that she couldn't be more irritating.

"My mother is not around and even if she was, she wouldn't mind if I went to the full night open grocery store at 10 P.M."

"Of course not," Victoria said with disdain. "Nobody in this place seems to care for what their children do."

Folding his own arms, Gideon did something his mother always made to intimidate her, he took a dangerous step forward, invading her personal space and making the woman grimace.

"And what are you doing here this late, Mrs. Belfrey?" He inquired. "Your house is at the other end of the town."

"I don't own an explanation about my life to you," she said, turning around on the balls of her feet and walking to her car.

"Crazy," the boy mumbled, getting his keys and entering the house.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No long until Gideon learns the truth now.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gideon finds out the truth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry for the delay, I've been busy with all those holiday things. And as this will the last chapter before Christmas I want to wish you all the best time with your family and friends.  
> Merry Christmas, my darlings!

It was end of the Sunday afternoon when Gideon parked his mother's car outside the Gold Manor's gates. Roderick was tipping something on his phone at the passenger's seat while they waited for Alice to show up. Gideon wasn't exactly a patient person and he wished he could give Alice a call without startling her uncle, but luckily for him, he didn't have to wait for too long, as just a couple of minutes after they arrived, he could feel the connection between his mind and Alice's strongly as she approached the car, smiling briefly when she passed through the gates to settle herself in the backseat.

"So, how is your weekend so far?" He started trying to sound more and friendly and less desperate than he felt.

"Weird," Alice shrunk. "My uncle locked himself in his room and I haven't seen a sight of him since Friday."

"Then, there is both of us, my mother is out of town since Friday night too."

The blonde girl sighed deeply: "Adults..."

Roderick slid his phone back to his pocket and glanced at Alice briefly, a flicker of jealously appearing in his eyes. He folded his arms uncomfortably.

"Care to explain why we are still here?" The boy asked Gideon. "I thought we would play basketball."

"And we will, Rod, just later. I have something to discuss with Alice first."

"You do?"

Gideon almost bit his tongue when he didn't find a great answer to give his friend. Earlier that day, it seemed to make sense picking Rod first and then stopping by Alice's just to take the chain, so he could make some research about it himself, as she appeared to be no interested in doing such a thing. However, now he felt an idiot, because what he had to talk with his friend couldn't be heard by Rod's ears.

_Why did you bring him?_ Alice asked.

_He is my friend._

The girl's reaction was audible. She snorted loudly, letting a humourlessly chuckle pass through her lip, which made Roderick glance at her once again.

_He is a stupid Mortal who shouldn't be around me_ , she remarked.

_Did you bring the chain?_ He insisted.

"Gideon?" Roderick called.

"What?"

'I asked what do you have to discuss with Alice," his friend remembered.

And he totally forgot it. Gideon thought that if he continued to love like this for another month, he would definitely get crazy and this led him to wonder if Alice could hear his long inter monologues while he was thinking or if she just heard what he meant her to. However, if she heard this, then she didn't say anything.

"She is selling me something," the boy finally explained.

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah," Alice nodded, smirking, "what am I selling you?"

Stupid girl, just when he needed her to be nice and lie, she was playing the confused one.

"That chain for my mother."

"You're a terrible liar," Roderick pointed out.

"I have to agree with him," Alice chuckled.

Turning around the best he could inside the car, Gideon stretched a hand for her, a clear invite for the girl to give him what he wanted, although she looked impassive, hands clasped to her lap and a frown on her face.

"Alright, the chain," he commanded.

"It is not a good idea," Alice warned, finally taking the piece of jewellery from inside her plaid shirt's pocket.

"Let me decide for myself," Gideon asked, closing his hand around hers, right where the chain rested.

It didn't take more than a few seconds for the car disappear and they found themselves watching a whole different scene. They were apparently inside a large kitchen where two people were sat with teacups in their hands: the first one was Rumford Gold and the other a dark-haired woman with some grey strands showing off.

"What do you see, mother?"

"I see a difficult path," she answered in a trembling voice, "both you and your love will have to make hard decisions."

Gold nodded to her. He took a longer breath, facing his cup as if it was the most interesting thing in the world; he seemed lost in thoughts, brown eyes concentrated in the tea, although it was obvious that his mind was very far away from there.

"I've already made mine," he whispered.

"I know, and I already have what you need," his mother replied, gently picking something from inside one of the cabinets and placing it in front of him. It was the Pandora's box. "Your father gave it to me before he became too insane. You have the spell, right?"

"Yes," Rum assured her, picking the box carefully between two fingers. "Thank you for this, mother. I need to keep my Belle safe."

The mother grasped his hand, giving it a little encouraging squeeze, but her eyes showed some concern. She feared for him and for the future she had seen for his lover. That woman knew that without their acknowledgment, a new life was already growing, but if it was to survive it may not have any links to her son other than his blood and power.

"You really trust her, don't you?" She asked him and Gold nodded confidently. "You've got to, because once you give the box to someone you're giving then the power of controlling your life. If you get locked inside this, there is no way out."

"I know, but I love her and as impossible as it sounds, she loves me too."

The vision ended with Rumford's mother smiling affectionally to him, and this time when Gideon got back to himself he felt dizzy. His heart was pounding furiously on his chest as he dropped Alice's hand to grab his backpack, where the mysterious object Ruby gave him was still placed. The same little box Gold gave to his mother years ago.

"Whoa, what was it?" Roderick asked with wide eyes. "You two kept staring hypnotically at each other for minutes! Gideon? Are you alright?"

"Did you know?" The boy asked the girl, ignoring completely his best friend. "This whole time?"

"No," Alice shooked her head. "I only suspected, my uncle wouldn't talk to me about this."

"Damn it, Alice!"

Roderick grabbed his arm forcing Gideon to look at him and when he saw the other's boy comforting glance, he wanted to bury him into a tight embrace and ask him to say it all was a big mistake. At this point he'd rather be crazy than a half-Incubus.

"Gideon, what is happening?"

"She lied to me! Everybody lied to me," he mumbled, opening his bag and lifting the box for them to see. "Ruby gave me this on Friday night."

"The Pandora's box," Alice murmured, astonished.

"Yes," Gideon agreed. "The same box Rumford Gold gave to the woman he loved. My mother."

By his side, Roderick's eyes got even wider. He didn't understand a thing they were saying but these words made sense - although they were so surprising it almost sounded like madness.

"Your mother dated the old Gold?"

"Gideon..." Alice tried to start, but he wouldn't let her.

No, he was freaking out now, there was too much to think and consider and the whole world seemed out of focus.

"I'm a weird half-something because mother slept with a freaking demon!"

"He is not a demon," Alice screamed, as he opened the car's door and left, heading to the Manor's gates. She quickly followed him, with Roderick on her heels. "Can you bloody stop to listen to me?"

"No, I need answers but my mother is out of town so, I guess I'm taking them from someone else."

"Gideon wait - "

"Can someone care to explain me what the hell are you talking about?" Rod yelled behind them.

"No!" The girl shouted out, shutting the gates closed right on his nose. "Go home, Roderick!"

Then, she turned around and started to run in an attempt to get on with Gideon's quick steps. He was a fast walker and she unfortunately haven't realised that until now.

"Come back," the girl continued to insist, "you don't want to do this, not when you just found out."

"Oh, I want and I will!"

Gideon entered the Manor like a summer storm, furiously looking around until he found Rumford by the staircase, conversing with a smiley woman who wore a beautiful black dress and had short straight hair. By the moment she saw them, her smile seemed to grow larger, but Gold's face became blank.

"Alice!" The woman called happily. "It is so good to see you! Who is your friend?"

He didn't give time for her to answer, though, he walked straight to Gold with narrowed eyes and his heart beating painfully fast on his chest.

"You."

"Is something wrong, my boy?" Rumford asked, the big confidence he seemed to emanate that first day, when they met, disappearing visibly.

"Why did you hide this whole time like a coward?" Gideon asked and when he blinked he realised his eyes were filled with unshed tears. "Why couldn't you raise your own child?"

Gold's jaw dropped. There was sadness in his face when in the woman by his side, there was shock. He lifted a hand trying to reach for Gideon, but he stepped back, not allowing him to make any contact.

"I - "

"Rum, I was looking for..." A voice suddenly came from the next floor and in the staircase appeared Belle. She looked a mess, dressed only in a big dark-blue shirt that clearly wasn't hers, with hair pulled up in a messy ponytail. When she laid eyes on her son, she almost jumped in place. "Gideon!"

"So here is your working place," the boy mumbled in disbelief. "That's wonderful to know, mother."

Looking back at her with flushed cheeks, Rumford seemed to want to disappear from the room. Belle shrunk, looking miserable.

"I'll settle the dining table for another two people," the dark-haired woman said, uncomfortably. "Alice get a glass of water for our guest and take him somewhere he can calm down. Meanwhile, I think it is better for you to get your girlfriend some clothes, Rumford."

* * *

 

After his parents went back upstairs, Gideon let himself fall in one of the couches as he heard some murmuring coming from the kitchen. It seemed there were a lot more people there than the last time. Alice came back after a couple of moments with a glass of water for him, which he took gratefully right before asking for a moment alone; she didn't discuss as it was usual of her, just went away.

He sat there, holding his now empty cup with trembling hands, trying to cope with the fact that his whole life was a lie. And worse, that his mother had been sneaking out of their house to do God-knows-what with Rumford Gold. Alice's uncle and his biological father. It was weird but for the first time ever, he could feel the strength of his powers, making his fingers seem full of electricity.

"Are you alright?"

Gideon jumped in place, almost dropping the cup. When he glanced back to where the voice had come, he saw a little girl, about ten years old.

"Oh God, girl, you scared me."

"I'm sorry," she whispered. "I'm Lucy."

"Gideon," he presented himself, offering her a handshake.

She was dressed in a light-pink dress and had the same brown eyes that seemed to be characteristic of the Golds.

"I know," Lucy replied with a sweet smile. "My mom said you are family, but I never saw you."

"Well, I never knew I was part of the family," Gideon pointed out. "So you are that woman's daughter? The one with short hair?"

"No, that's my granny."

For a second, he thought his mind might blow, because the woman Lucy claimed to be her grandmother, looked too young for that. But sure, they were magical so why couldn't that be true?

"Of course," he murmured with sarcasm.

That was when he saw his mother at the end of the staircase, this time looking decent, wearing a red blouse and black trousers, hair braided with perfection. She approached him, offering her son a hand with shame shinning in her eyes.

"Gideon can we talk?" Belle begged when he made no move to enlace his fingers with hers. "Just the two of us for moment, please?"

There was no other option for him and he needed to admit he wanted the answers his mother could give, so he followed her outside the house, where they sat on the balcony's stairs.

"Explain this," Gideon demanded.

"How did you find out?" Belle asked, unsure of how to start and that was when he opened his backpack and placed the magical object on her lap, which made her gasp in surprise. "The box."

"Ruby gave it to me, then some weird stuff happened. But we can talk about it all later, I want to know why did you lie."

Belle glanced at the box, tracing the runes as she worried at her lip. That was the moment she was fearing would come and as much as she had imagined this conversation between the two of them, she was not prepared.

"Years ago, I was engaged to Gaston, we knew each other since we were children, but we didn't love the other, our fathers insisted in our relationship," Belle started. "But eventually I went to college and we barely talked, and that was when I met Rumford."

"Then you cheated on your fianceé?" Gideon inquired, sckeptically.

"No. I mean, he did it too, alright? We weren't happy," she defended herself. "Rum showed me a new world and I had no idea how much it was dangerous until I was too involved to step back, but even if I could I wouldn't. I love him, Gideon, but I wasn't being his lover all this time like you seem to think."

"So what?"

She took a deeper breath, reaching for her son's hand and grabbing it before he could shift away.

"When Rumford was about to get his full powers, he told me to go away. His brother had killed his own girlfriend in the night of his birthday when he became a full Incubus and he didn't want this to happen to me so he sent me back to marry Gaston," Isabelle continued, eyes lost in the landscape, mind back to the time she lost the love of her life. "Just before my wedding I found out that I was pregnant, but I couldn't tell Rum because I knew that if the wrong people discovery he was to have a child, then they would come for you."

Gideon blinked.

"Didn't he know I was his son?"

"No, my darling, he only found out when you came here with Alice."

His heart seemed to be crushed inside his chest. So, Gold had been just as fooled as he was and while he spent a life alone on that place, Gideon grew up fearing the day Gaston's alcoholism would bring a great harm to their family. It was unfair and all he wanted to do was to run somewhere very far away from there.

"And who is this threat you fear, mother? Because I'm trying to understand you, but all I feel is betrayed."

"There is a man, named Malcolm who would kill you without thinking twice," Belle told him. "I only wanted to protect you, and now I'm feeling so guilty for you never knew the love of your real father."

Throwing her arms around his shoulder, Isabelle allowed herself to cry, the feel of regret overtaking her. They stayed there for a long time, until someone finally interrupted the moment between mother and son.

"Excuse me," the dark-haired woman he saw earlier saw, cleaning her throat. "The dinner is served."


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The family reunion go wrong.  
> Gideon gets a chance to talk to Roderick.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're back! Hope you all had a beautiful Christmas.  
> So, I've said before I planned to make this fic a 10 chapters one, but I guess I'll be extending it to 15 or 17, something like that. Anyway, we are heading to the most exciting parts!

When mother and son entered the house again, Gold was already waiting for them, standing at the hallway, glancing nervously at his own hands as he tapped his fingers together. In the last couple of days since Rum discovered that Gideon was his son, he had been imagining how it would be when he was finally able to reveal the truth to the boy, however out of every scenario he had pictured, Gold didn't expect this one. He wished he and Belle had the chance of telling him themselves and he still had no idea how Gideon found it out, but he was willing to take an answer from Alice later.

As Regina passed by his side, walking directly to the kitchen, Rumford fixed his eyes on the door, waiting until the moment they finally showed up, side by side and some relief filled his chest, knowing that the boy hadn't simply gone away.

"Belle. Gideon."

"Regina said the dinner is ready," Isabelle said, rubbing at Gideon's arm and paying careful attention to his distressed expression.

She knew it would take time for him to understand everything and accept the fact that most of his life was a lie, but she also knew that Gideon was a good boy and he would eventually cope with all of this. But the last thing he seemed to need right now was a conversation with Rum; it probably would be too much to take, however the Incubus didn't appear to think that way as he immediately started to speak in his nervous-exasperated tone.

"Aye, it is, but the whole family is here and I wanted us to talk before we entered there," he started pointing at the dining room. "I know you didn't expect this, my boy, but I'm very proud of you. You are good Gideon, and I'm so sorry we only got to know each other now."

"Yeah, me too," Gideon grumbled. "Now, excuse me, I'm hungry."

In a matter of seconds, he had disappeared in the corridor that led to the place where the whole Gold family was gathered and both Belle and Rum sighed.

"He hates me," Rumford whispered, defeated.

"No, he doesn't, if our son hates someone today then this person is me," Belle assured him, placing a kiss on his lips. "Just give him some time."

He nodded, holding her as close as possible, feeling the warm heat of her body enveloping his and giving him the right confidence to face his whole family, knowing that now they were all aware of Gideon's existence, it wouldn't be long before his father got this acknowledgment too.

"Will you eat with us then?" Rum asked his love.

"Of course," she smiled pulling away and taking his hand to allow him to lead her through the house to the dining room.

A banquet was served in a large table filled with already known faces to her. It had been years since Isabelle last saw then but they weren't any less friendly than before. Maybe of course, with the exception of two people there: Rumford's stepmom and stepsister.

"Belle! Oh, my dear, I've missed you," Fiona, a Caster gifted with seer powers, exclaimed pulling her into a tight hug. She smiled fondly at Belle, touching her face, before scanning the room to find Gideon and Alice coming in. "And this should be my grandson."

"Oh, hi," Gideon murmured when he was hugged just like his mom, by the same woman with brown eyes and dark hair.

He thought it was odd that his grandmother was so conserved - apparently even more conserved in all the age she should have, than Rumford - but he remembered something Alice said a while ago, about her uncle getting weaker because he was fighting his nature darkness.

"I'm Fiona," she presented herself. "Let me introduce you to everyone. These are Regina, Robin, their son, Henry and his wife Jacinda, then there is little Lucy, their daughter. And of course, Cora and her daughter Zelena."

"Hello," he tried to smile, but all he appeared to be was extremely uncomfortable standing there.

Alice took his hand, dragging him towards the table and taking an empty seat.

"Come sit with me, Gideon," she almost ordered, tapping the chair by her side.

Slowly he slid to the seat, swallowing hard as he faced all those expecting faces which seemed to analyse him carefully. It was a certain relief when his mother sat right in front of him, sharing her reassuring smile as Gold settled himself by her left, interlacing his fingers with hers above the table.

_Why are these people here?_ He asked Alice.

_Sorry I forgot to say today is a family holiday,_ she answered, _glancing at him with the corner of her eyes._

_Fantastic._

"So, our dear brother knows how to keep a good secret..." A redhead woman started at the other corner of the table. "I never thought he could get himself in trouble after all this time."

Fiona, the grandmother cleaned her throat, sending a lethal glare into the redhead's direction.

"We have a lot to talk about later, Belle," she changed the subject, touching his mother's shoulder, "I hope you have some baby pictures of Gideon."

"I might have some," Isabelle smiled.

They started to serve themselves, passing bowls and pans through the table. Gideon placed some salad on his plate, silently and poked Alice's arm with his elbow.

_So, do I get an explanation about this crazy family tree?_ He asked.

_Fiona is your grandmother, uncle Rum and aunt Regina are her children alongside with uncle Archie and he went mad, turned to the dark side,_ Alice sighed. _Same old story._

_Of course._

Because, sure, all the families in the world seemed to have a problem between light and darkness. Just maybe not so literally.

_Cora is my grandmother,_ Alice continued. _She had two daughters: Zelena and my mom, Eloise._

So, Regina is... He started not sure if there was a womanly version for an Incubus. Gideon didn't even know those creatures existed before Alice first talked about them.

_A Succubus_ , she replied, dryly.

"Do you want some pasta?" The man beside him asked, offering him a big bowl.

"Sure, thank you."

Gideon served himself and then passed the pasta to Alice that did the same. However, he was yet quite satisfied with the answers he had, because just like his mother, Gideon always needed to understand everything.

_Incubus?_ He queried, pointing at the man by his side with a swift movement of his head.

_Caster_ , Alice corrected. _This is uncle Robin. And Henry is just like me if you're asking yourself, he didn't take from his mother._

_Alright,_ Gideon contemplated. _Complicate._

_I can hear the two of you_ , a new voice said inside his head and he looked up to see that his father was staring at him. _Just so you know._

_I thought..._

_You need to share a strong connection with someone for this person to be able to talk this way with you,_ Alice explained. _It seems your father and son bond is already showing._

A lazy smile stretched in Rumford's lips as he rubbed circles in Belle's hand not quite eating anything that was placed in his plate. She lifted her glance to him, furrowing at the wonder expression on his face.

"Are you alright?"

"Just fine," Rum guaranteed her. "How is dinner?"

"Delicious. My compliments to whoever cooked it."

"I thank you," Regina said, smiling at her.

Belle started to cut a piece of her lasagna, mouth watering at the prospect of feeling that incredible taste again, but before she could lead the fork to her mouth, Cora was speaking, which got the blood freezing in her chest.

"You look pale, Belle," the older woman pointed out. "Some activities can dry you quickly. Take care of yourself."

She swallowed the harsh answer that threatened to leave her mouth and went for a polite one.

"I am."

"Are you really sure the boy is your son, Rum?" Zelena asked, eyes fixed in Belle. "I'm not sure if I can really see you in him."

"Don't be silly," Fiona intervened. "Look at those beautiful pixie ears and those deep brown eyes."

"But I don't really feel any magic coming from him," the redhead shrugged.

Gideon looked straight at Alice with wide eyes, trying to understand what was happening and why those two women were taunting his parents like they were a bunch of school teens.

Are they going to analyse me now? He asked his friend, who he now knew, was also his cousin.

Probably, just don't mind it, Alice advised, aunt Zelena is mean.

"I can guarantee you that Gideon has strong powers," the boy heard Gold saying and when he looked up at him, he could see that Rumford was trying to contain himself, "he just doesn’t know how to use them yet."

Zelena slowly stood up walking around the dining room like she owned the whole Manor. Her green and black dress gave her a true witch vibe and Gideon froze in place, seeing his father's eyes narrow as they followed Zelena's each step.

"Mm... He could start trying."

He hadn't realised how close she was. In a quick second Zelena grabbed his arm between his and Alice's seat and he felt a strong wind enter the room as his eyes got blurry and the magic tickling in his skin got stronger.

"Zelena," Regina yelled.

"Gideon," Belle and Gold screamed.

"Oh my..." Alice whispered.

The whole room seemed to start spinning, but Gideon wasn't really sure of what was happening. Glass was being broken, lights turned on and off and things flying around as if they were in the middle of a hurricane.

"Zelena stop this right now," Fiona commanded.

"Rumford do something," Isabelle begged in despair.

A wicked laugh left Zelena's lips as she magically lifted the boy's body from the chair. He choked feeling like it was too much for him to take.

"Show me your power," the evil aunt chuckled, "Gideon _Gold_."

"Stop now," Alice said, trying to use her own powers to take Zelena away.

That was when everything became a true chaos. It started to rain inside the dining room and Alice sobbed as she felt her own powers get out of control. It took Rumford a moment to overcome his shock but as soon as he understood that he should be moving, he jumped over the table and took Zelena down, pressing both hands to her throat and making her gasp for air. Gideon collapsed on the floor, taken by unconsciousness.

"Don't you ever touch my son again," Rum snarled at his sister.

* * *

 

Gideon woke up in place he didn’t recognise. The walls were painted in some soft shade of red, the furniture was all black and a fuzzy golden blanket was pulled above him. Blinking repeatedly, the boy took a deep breath, feeling as if his lungs had been useless while he was asleep and only now got back to work; his mouth was dry and there was a buzzing on his ears. He tried to fix his eyes on something and that was when he saw Belle and Gold standing near the door, talking to each other very closely, his fingers tracing circles on her arms as she shed some tears.

"Mama?"

Belle turned around, mouth slightly opened in surprise. She made her way towards the boy and sat by his side at the edge of the bed, brushing his hair out of his face.

"Hey sweetheart," she whispered in her kindest tone of voice. "Do you want some water?"

Nodding, Gideon accepted, sitting on the bed with some difficulty as his mother filled a cup from a silver jar that was placed in the nightstand near them. Rumford watched them with preoccupied eyes, without ever glancing away as Gideon thirstily drank all the water his mother served him.

"What happened?" The boy finally questioned.

"Zelena made your powers burst," Belle told him, tapping her nervous fingers at his knee. "But don't worry, now you're fine."

"Yes,” Gold agreed, sliding to seat by his other side, “and I must teach you how to control yourself, so that won't happen again."

"No, don't get any near to me," Gideon warned shrinking, which made a look of pain pass through Rumford’s face. "I was supposed to be normal, but I'm not. Because of you!"

Shooking her head, Belle gave him her best angry-mama glance.

"Gideon, please, _don't_."

"He is right,” Gold intervened, stopping her next words, “if I wasn't a monster, he wouldn't be going through any of this and I could have been a father to him right from the start."

There was a lump on Belle’s throat. It was killing her to see the two people she most loved in the world so hurt and broken by the lie she had kept all these years, somehow, she felt like it all was her fault, even though she hadn’t much choice by the time she decide to marry Gaston to hide Gideon’s origins.

"You're both wrong," she said in a shake-teary voice. "If you can't stand looking at each other how do you think we are going to defeat Malcolm?"

Gideon released a sharp breath, hating to see the despair in her eyes. He nodded, but not because he was suddenly fine will all of this, but because it was what his mother needed right now.

"Do you forgive me, son?" Rumford asked, reaching for his hand.

This time, he didn’t pull away, but Gideon also didn’t dare looking into his father’s eyes.

"I - " he sighed. "I think it is going to take long for me to do it, but just let's start with not fighting."

"Alright,” Rum tried to smile, “I think it will do it."

* * *

 

"Care to explain me, where were you?" Mrs. Potts yelled by the moment Gideon opened the front door of their house, about midnight.

That was a totally expected reaction and he thought he didn’t have strength enough – nor courage – to argue with her just now. Rumford Gold had insisted for them to stay at his house now that his stepmother and sister were gone, but Belle quickly refused, saying that if they wanted to keep this secret for the longer they could, then they should keep on with their lives as if nothing had happened.

She promised she would see him in the tunnels – which Gideon still needed an explanation about – in the next night, so they parted with a last goodbye kiss and the Keeper brought her son home.

"He was with me, at the Gold Manor," she told Mrs. Potts, appearing at the doorway.

"What? Are you mad, Isabelle?"

His mother opened her mouth and was about to say something, when they saw the shadow of Roderick’s silhouette behind her. He was full of uncertainty and Gideon cursed himself for leaving the poor boy behind the way he did, but at that moment, in front of the Gold Manor, he wasn’t exactly thinking straight.

"Gideon?"

"I'll be back in a minute," he promised Belle and led Roderick outside. "Hey, I'm sorry for what happened earlier."

"I'm still _trying to get_ what happened."

Gideon wasn’t sure if he should do this. Actually, he was pretty sure he shouldn’t, but Roderick was his friend ever since preschool, they knew everything about each other and it seemed unfair to keep him in the dark, thinking only that he was as mad as people thought Alice to be.

"It is a long story, Rod, but let's start with this," Gideon snapped his fingers, just like Gold had showed him how to five seconds before they left the manor and the lights in the balcony were turned off.

"Whoa."

"My father taught me," he explained to a marvelled Roderick. "Mr. Rumford Gold."

"So, all those crazy things you and Alice were talking about..."

"It can be resumed in one word: _magic_ ," Gideon agreed. "But you can't tell anyone."

A giant smile appeared in Roderick’s lips as he laughed out loud, delighted with this new revelation.

"You know me better than that, Gid, your secret is safe with me."

And in fact, he knew Roderick wouldn't tell anyone about his recently discovered powers, but Gideon wondered how long it would be for other people to find it out by themselves.


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's Halloween and Gideon gets in trouble.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll be away for the weekend which means this is probably going to be the last chapter of the year, so I would like to leave here my thank you for all of you who have been not just reading this story but many of the others I posted ever since I decided to start writing Rumbelle fanfic. If it wasn't for you I probably would have given up.  
> Sending my love to everyone. And may 2018 be as beautiful as it can.

The ceiling had never looked so interesting for Gideon before that morning. He laid on his bed, eyes wide open, tired like never before as he hadn't got much sleep in the night prior after those crazy events at the Gold Manor. Gideon turned around, getting his cell phone and realising it was already half past ten, what surprised him, because Mrs. Potts usually woke him up at seven, even when he didn't have to go to school like today, which was a good thing, as he had no mood to face a full day there. The Storybrooke High School was hosting an open big Halloween party during the whole day, so nobody had classes.

Sighing and stretching himself a little, Gideon closed his eyes again, concentrating so he could feel his mental bond with Alice, finding that she was awake. She felt him, even from her own room back in the Manor and smiled to herself.

_How are you today?_

_Feeling weird_ , Gideon answered. _I'm the son of the town's oldest scary joke._

She slid to the comfortable huge chair in front of her desk, looking down through the window and seeing the garden where Gideon had followed her to, weeks ago. Getting a hold of a pen, Alice bit down her lip.

_Listen, I told him about the chain last night and everything else,_ the girl confessed. _He took it and said he would ask your mom to analyse its powers._

Gideon nodded, even though she clearly couldn't see the movement. He knew it wouldn't be long before Gold took all the truth from Alice and she didn't seem to be the kind of person who would lie for someone she loved; he knew it because he wouldn't do that himself. Sitting up, Gideon started to pick some clothes to start the day, when he glanced at a picture of his family - or what he thought it to be until recently. Gaston had a hand on his shoulder, a frown stamped in his face, Belle kneeled beside his ten-year-old self smiling as widely as him.

Even in that photograph everything seemed a lie and Gideon didn't know how he didn't realise it before. They were never truly happy, at least not as a complete family, because he and his mother had always shared loved and complicity, while Gaston was just and addition to the picture.

_So, about my mom_ , Gideon started again, calling Alice's attention. _What exactly is a Keeper?_

_Just a librarian, but one from our world_ , she answered with a shrug, drawing lines on her notebook.

His mixed feelings were so clear to the girl that she could almost feel them by herself, which was weird and not exactly the most comfortable thing in the world.

_Does she have powers?_ Gideon questioned.

A laugh left Alice's mouth.

_Of course not_ , she just got a great brain and a couple of secret keys.

_Cool,_ the boy grumbled. _But what about you, Alice? We've never talked much about you._

She stopped what she was doing and stood up, eyes wondering around the room. The walls were painted in a dark shade of blue, the ceiling full of fluorescent stars, most of her childhood books and dolls were still somewhere inside the huge closet. Her story was written there, and as she let herself sit in a corner on the floor, Alice felt fear. The future terrified her.

_I... Well, I'm a Caster._

_That I know_ , Gideon replied, rolling his eyes. _Why does my father want to keep you here?_

_He raised me, most of the time, until I went to aunt Regina's house_ , Alice explained. _I stayed there until now, then I came back because he wanted to show me how to use my powers and keep an eye on me._

_Why?_ The boy chuckled. _You're not a big trouble._

His laugh was contagious and she almost let herself giggle too, however Alice was too nervous and anxious for that. It was panic that came to fill her whole body, making a lump appear on her throat and it felt difficult for her to continue talking.

_On my sixteen birthday I shall be claimed to Light or Darkness, Gideon, and there is no coming back_ , she confessed.

_What? You can't choose for yourself?_

_No._

Holding a pile of clothes against his chest, Gideon stopped, finally understanding why she always seemed to be on the edge of her emotions. She was afraid and being afraid was not a good feeling.

_You'll be Light_ , Gideon assured her. _I know it._

_My mother was dark, that's why they fear what I will became._

_Yeah, but I know you,_ he insisted. _You have a good heart, Alice._

Wiping a tear that had ran down her cheek, Alice sniffled, allowing herself to give a little laugh.

_Silly boy, I can't believe you're my cousin._

_Silliness is a family thing_ , Gideon remarked.

He felt Alice slip away, closing her mind with one last laugh, then he did it too.

* * *

 

"How do I look like?" Alice inquired appearing by the doorway of the living room where her uncle had been playing piano.

Rumford looked up at her, pausing his hands and making the music stop as he faced his niece. She was wearing a white shirt and a big pink tutu in which a white fuzzy pompom was hanging, her face covered with a rabbit mask.

"Ridiculous," Gold stated, "take this thing off."

"I'm doing trick or treat!"

"No, you're not."

She furrowed, resting both hands on her hips. Alice could barely believe he - one of the people that most insisted for her to have a normal life - was forbidden her from going out on Halloween. Never before, the girl had been interested in such things, but Gideon and Roderick would be wandering around the neighbourhood and she wanted to go with them and just have some fun for a change.

"But uncle..."

"You're not a child, Alice, and I say you're not getting out of this house today," Rumford bounced. "I already have too many problems to worry about you too."

He stood up going to the bookshelf and picking one of his spell guides, what she thought he considered a light reading for the night. She groaned, knowing he wouldn't change his mind, not after what aunt Zelena did last night.

"You could be nicer," Alice mumbled, taking off her mask.

"I could also turn you into a bunny, so Pongo could spend the rest of the day following you around," uncle Rum answered with one of his sweetest smiles.

Alice rolled her eyes at him, clapping her hands to make Pongo stand from where he had been napping, near the fireplace.

"Great deal," she muttered to herself as she took the dog to her room.

* * *

 

Roderick had chosen a classic vampire outfit for the night. He lived close to Gideon's house, so there was no need to leave his too early, but he wanted to see if they could maybe watch something while they waited for Alice to arrive and maybe, Gideon could show him another cool magic trick. The boy thought it was very exciting to know this kind of things existed and he couldn't wait to know more about what his friend could do.

The street was strangely empty, no one walking around but him, however Roderick knew most people should be attending the school's party. A thin rain was falling and he started to walk faster in an attempt to reach Gideon's place before his clothes got damp.

"Hello, Roderick," he heard somebody saying behind him and stopped turning around on the balls of his feet.

Ivy's mother was standing there in the middle of the rain, holding a tiny umbrella and wearing a perfect ironed outfit that matched her stilettos.

"Mrs. Belfrey, hi," Roderick greeted her, praying she wouldn't talk too much. "How can I help you?"

A lazy smile stretched on Victoria's lips as she took a step forward.

"Very nice from you to ask this," she purred.

* * *

 

His _Han Solo_ costume was settled on a chair upstairs, but the rain outside made Gideon want to stay home. He was sat on the couch zapping through the TV's channels in an attempt to find something interesting to watch when Mrs. Potts came from the kitchen holding her big red umbrella.

"Gideon, I'll make a quick trip to the grocery store, but I shall be back in an hour to make dinner," she informed him. "Would you like roasted potatoes?"

"Sure," he smiled, thinking about having a delicious dinner after some hours of fun with his friends. It would be a great relief from his problems. The housekeeper nodded and waved at him, heading to the door. "Bye, Mrs. Potts."

As soon as she left he felt the unique presence of Alice in his mind, just like as if she was there in the house with him, sitting on the couch by his side. These were things that would still take some time for him to get used to it and all of the magical things. His mother was out to meet his father on the Tunnels and do some research, although he was pretty sure that was not the only reason she wanted to desperately spend her Halloween locked on the Lunae Libri.

_No Halloween for us today_ , Alice's voice echoed in his mind. _Your father grounded me._

_Why?_ Gideon questioned.

_Because he is an idiot_ , the girl grumbled.

Another presence joined hers and he could feel an odd new connection reaching them.

_I'm not,_ his father said.

_Get out, uncle Rum,_ Alice replied, moodily.

There was a knock on the door and Gideon sighed. It seemed it would be only him and Roderick tonight, what a good luck Mrs. Potts would be back soon to cook something for them to eat. He stood up, taking his keys and going to the entryway.

_Wait_ , he told Alice, _there is someone in the door._

The boy opened it, just to face Victoria Belfrey. That was the last thing he needed today. He couldn't find a good reason for that woman to be there paying them a visit as she hated his mother, because of all their arguments over the library.

"Gideon," she smiled.

"Mrs. Belfrey, I didn't expect your visit."

She nodded, with that serious intimidating expression she was wore when she fiercely wanted something and was on her way to get it.

"Is your mother around?"

"No," he replied dryly, "I'm sorry, but she must be coming home soon."

"Can I come in and wait?"

Gideon's eyebrows narrowed in confusion. Belfrey always thought herself better than everyone else, she didn't enter the house of people she thought to be inferior to her. It was just too out of picture to be a normal attitude of hers.

"Actually no," Gideon said, holding the doorknob firmly, ready to close it. "I'm not allowed to have visits when I'm alone."

"Don't be silly, I'll just have a seat and drink some water..." Victoria started, taking a step ahead and being pushed back.

The boy blinked as she tried to do it again and what it seemed to be an invisible barrier prevented her from entering the house.

"What the hell?" He muttered.

_Gideon_ , his father's voice spoke loud and harsh on his mind, _get away from the door._

A manic smile stretched on Victoria's lips and she opened her hands in front of her body, letting a black glow take them. Gideon stepped back.

"Protection spells, very clever," Belfrey murmured. "But let's see how strong they are."

A strong, wave of power, hit the door making Gideon be throw against to the wall behind him. His heat bumped against it and he groaned in pain.

_Run!_ Alice screamed.

And he truly wanted to do it, but his vision got blurry and he still heard the bangs of Victoria's powers fighting the protection spells, however he was too weak to stand up, so instead, he fainted.


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another secret is revealed.  
> Rum goes after Gideon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can barely believe I managed to finish this chapter, I spent days looking at this dialogue with no inspiration to do the rest, but well, today it finally came and I hope it doesn't leave me.

Rumford couldn't see anything and it frustrated him like nothing else could. He was used to keeping an eye in everything that happened around Storybrooke through Pongo's eyes and it always made him feel powerful, because he knew everything about everyone and had all the secrets and information the residents wanted to hid. However, now sitting at the Lunae Libri with Belle in his arms, he was paralyzed, the echoes of the conversation Gideon had with Victoria Belfrey making his head spin, because even all those miles away from his house, Rum could feel that his boy was in danger and that there was magic in that woman.

He looked down at Belle, curled in his lap, analysing the chain he had brought while she procured something in one of her beloved books, completely unaware of what was happening in his mind. Belle mumbled something under her breath, flipping up a page and Gold slid his hands down her arms, bringing her close to his chest in a fail attempt to calm his descompassed heart. Breathing in the sweet essence of her shampoo he gave herself the luxury of fearing for just another second before he did what he should.

"There is something wrong with Gideon," Rumford forced himself to whisper to Belle.

She dropped the book to her lap, turning her had to take a look at his unexpessive face, appearing to be trying to understand if she in fact had heard him right.

"What?"

"There is someone dangerous in the house," he repeated and this time he lifted her petite body alongside with his as he stood up and disappeared from the library, leaving Belle alone, confused and terrified.

Gold materialized in the front door of Isabelle's house, getting a hold of the handrail when he felt his knees get weak; he hadn't used that ability in a long while because it took a lot of his strength and left him in need of feeding himself again. But at least he was there, right where his son needed him. And apparently Rum hadn't been the only one who came in Gideon's rescue, because he saw Alice appearing magically down the street. He had to admit that she was getting better in controlling her powers, although he wasn't much happy to see her there, putting herself in danger.

But glancing away from his niece, he could see the woman that tried to break into the house, dressed in fine clothes, her short hair perfectly straightened behind her ears. Rumford grunted at her, moving into Victoria's direction with a swift movement. He abruptly pressed her against the wall, hands closing tightly around her arms, enough to hurt, but it only caused a wide calm smile to take her lips and that was when he felt the tingle of magic and recognition on his fingers. Then, that deep laugh he so remembered came from the woman's throat, but in a voice, that wasn't Belfrey's at all.

"Hello, Rumford."

She dissipated from there as if her body was made of smoke, and Rum's hands hit the cold wall as he felt like the research Belle spent so many time making, was finally showing up, like an old prophecy. For a long moment, he was just frozen in place, until Alice passed by him, running through the opened door and he followed her as quick as he could, having his first vision of his son laying flaccid on the floor.

"Gideon!" Alice exclaimed kneeling beside her cousin. "Oh, Gideon, wake up!"

There were tears in her eyes; she was clearly afraid of what might happen to the boy. Alice never had real friends, she was a very closed person and the fact that people always noticed how odd she was made them keep their distance, so Gideon was the first to be there for and Gold knew that losing his friendship terrified her. However, the prospect of something bad happening to his boy didn't do any good for Rum either and he needed to be sure that Gideon was fine.

"Get out of the way, Alice," the Incubus commanded.

Alice stepped back and he used his powers to lift his son's body to the couch. His niece followed him to the living room and sat by Gideon's side with a haunted expression in her face.

"He is pale," she murmured.

"He fainted and bumped his head,' Gold answered noticing some traces of blood in the back of Gideon's head. "Go fetch some water for when he wakes."

The girl gave him a glare that clearly said this was the last thing she wanted to do, but Alice knew better than to disobey her uncle, so she nodded and headed to the kitchen. Rum slid to the centre table, taking a seat while watching for his unconscious son and though what he should do now.

"Rumford?" He heard Isabelle’s voice calling from the doorstep and suddenly remembered that he had left her alone in the library.

"In the living room!"

There was a muffled noise echoing in the corridors, which he was sure to be the attrite of her high heels against the floor and then, Belle appeared, dropping her hand-bag to the floor and immediately rushing to Gideon’s side, her hair falling to her face when she took their son’s hand in hers and kissed his knuckles.

"Oh, my poor boy," she whispered, touching his pale face.

They watched as Gideon suddenly jumped on the sofa, sitting quickly, scanning the living room with wide eyes, not even giving himself the needed time to awake properly.

"Where is she?" He questioned exasperatedly. "Where is Victoria?"

"Yeah, explain him where she is," Mrs. Potts said as she entered the living room, carrying her grocery bags and being followed by Alice, who was coming from the kitchen.

The challenge was explicit on the housekeeper’s tone. She and Gold had never been on good terms, both because in the past each one claimed to know the best for Belle and that was the opposite of what the other had in mind, but also because, her, as a human who used magical sources for protection and foreseen, loathed the ones linked with the darkness.

"Gideon, that was not Victoria Belfrey," Rumford started, carefully. "It might be her body, but she was someone else, just disguised."

"Who?"

"Eloise," the Incubus answered.

At this information, Alice got startled, glancing directly at him for the first time since she had come back with the water.

"Eloise, like my mother?"

" _Exactly_ your mother," it was Belle who answered, gently petting Gideon’s hair and avoiding the girl’s eyes.

She hated being the one to tell this to Alice, but she also felt like it was her duty, and only hers, to share this information, because it was Belle who found out, that not just Malcolm, but also Eloise was alive.

"But I thought she was dead," Alice mumbled, confused, blinking her eyes repeatedly to keep her tears from falling down her cheeks.

Reaching for the pocket of her coat, Belle took the chain from there and handed it to Rumford, who held her glance for some long seconds, before nodding understanding, because they both knew it was time for the secrets of this family to end.

"Take it, you two,” Gold said, offering the chain to his nice and gesticulating for Gideon to come join her, “it might explain some things."

Standing up, Gideon made his way to Alice and closed his hand right above hers, where the chain rested and they were dragged, like every single time before, to another place in another time. But today they were inside a beautiful, cosy living room, with pastel-pinkish walls, dark golden curtains and wooden brown furniture, however, the scene happening in there was very far away from being beautiful.

A tall, dark-haired man with intense blue eyes, dressed all in black stood in one of the ends of the room, a baby girl wrapped in a red blanket in his arms. A woman stood before him, some of her hair braided and falling around her shoulders; she had a cold expression in her face as she made a quick flourish with her left hand and the curtains started to burn, alongside with most of the furniture.

"What the bloody hell are you doing?” the man shouted at her, angrily. “Eloise, stop it."

"No," she shook her head, eyes narrowing with determination. "I fought darkness for long enough."

Lowering his gaze to the child in his arms, the man, who as mad as he seemed to be with Eloise, still looked surprisingly fearless, for the first time appeared to be pretty aware that the house was getting full of smoke and the flames approached him at each passing second.

"But the baby - " he started, unsure, rubbing the little girl’s back repeatedly. "You can't do this to Alice."

Eloise’s eyes stopped in Alice’s little form. She was a very calm baby, and was distractedly sucking at her thumb, head laid against her father’s chest as she faced her cruel mother.

"He told me if I let go of this family, then I can be in control of myself. No more fights with a fate I didn't choose."

"Eloise, please,” the man begged, “you can't let Malcolm delude you this way. This is a lie and you know it!"

"If I can't trust my father, then I'm lost," Eloise said, stepping back. "I'm sorry, Killian."

The image got blurry and suddenly they weren’t inside the Jones’ living room anymore, but in the middle of the wreckage the house had become, reduced to ashes. Two people stood there in the dark of the night, facing the doomed place while the rain soaked their clothes.

"She destroyed this place," Regina murmured, folding her arms against her chest, feeling cold, "and everyone inside."

There was a loud squeal and Rumford stepped forward, using his powers to remove some of the ruins that were hiding the tiny babe, which cried aloud, probably starving by now. He bent and picked her up, facing her dust covered face.

"No, not everyone," he mumbled, both to Regina and to himself. "Hello, Alice."

The vision dissipated and in the next moment, they were back to Gideon’s house and Alice was letting the chain fall to the floor as she took a step back, shaking her head and allowing some tears to ran free down her face. Rumford stood up, coming closer to touch her arm, but she shifted away from him.

"Alice."

"You lied to me," the girl accused. "She killed my father and she tried to kill me!"

"I wanted to protect you," Gold tried to defend himself.

It hurt him to see her suffering, because Alice was the closest thing he had of a daughter; he raised her ever since that day when they found her alone in the rain – one he was pretty sure her powers must have invocated at some point, as it was the only explanation for her being the only survivor in that fire, when her father, who was a powerful Caster, couldn’t make out of there himself – he had spent more time with her, than he did his own child. Rumford didn’t want to see her hurt and he knew the truth was painful.

"That's not protection, uncle Rum," Alice cried. "Why is she after Gideon?"

"Because what I feared the most happened. Malcolm knows that Gideon is my son."

"And why would that matter to him?"

He took a longer breath, knowing this was the time for truth, it was now or never and if he wasn’t sincere with them now, he would probably end up being hated by all the people he loved.

"Malcolm is trying to create a new species of Incubus, one which light doesn't bother them in any aspect, one that can live without having to feed so often," Rumford explained. "He tried combining Incubus and Succubus with every kind of powerful Caster he knows, but he didn't try breeding with a Mortal."

"Gideon is what he is looking for," Belle concluded.

The boy blinked.

"Am I?"

"We don't know yet, sweetheart," she tried to give him a little smile. "But as you grown old we will be able to find out."

"However," Mrs. Potts added. "No one will be able to find anything out if Malcolm takes him away first. We need to protect ourselves; Victoria only didn't enter this house because of my protective methods."

"Marking the door with salt and evoking the death never made anyone a hero," Rum remarked, narrowing his eyes at her.

Mrs. Potts bounced between the tips of her toes and the balls of her feet, apparently trying to control himself before she could manage to attack Rumford, in a surge of rage. She walked dangerously slow to him, resting her hands on her hips.

"If I were you I wouldn't question me, because Gideon would most certainly be a part of my death brigade if it wasn't for my own ways of protection."

"Old witches," Rumford grumbled under his breath.

Belle poked him on the ribs with her elbow, giving a fake smile to the housekeeper, in an attempt to keep them from killing each other. Alice was still crying; Gideon was still in shock. There was a lot to settle down and the last thing they needed was to have another matter to deal with.

"Mrs. Potts, you can go to sleep," Belle suggested. "I can take care of this."

The housekeeper gave her an angry glare.

"We'll talk about it tomorrow, Isabelle," she warned, then making her way to the kitchen to quickly leave the grocery on the counter, before going to her room.

A sigh of relief left Belle as she turned around to face the other expectant faces, two which didn't get exactly what they wanted that night and seemed to be pretty angry.

"Who wants a cup of tea?"

"Mama, the last thing anyone wants right now is a cup of tea," Gideon breathed. "I'll take Alice upstairs, so she can calm down."

Getting a grip on his cousin's arm, Gideon dragged her upstairs, as Rumford hugged Belle from behind hiding his face on her hair.

"Did they just cut us out of their conversation?"

"We are the bad parents right now, sweetheart," Rum shrugged.

"Yeah, so it seems," Isabelle agreed with a snort. "Will you take my tea?"

"Of course."

Departing from him, Belle went to the kitchen, where she settled all the groceries Mrs. Potts had brought on their right places, before managing to find the teapot and putting some water to boil. Rumford sat by the breakfast table, watching her do those methodical, simple things and wishing life could be just that easy. He couldn't help wishing to be only human.

It took no much time for them to be sat side by side with cups filled with hot tea in their hands, sipping and thinking, minds too far away from there. The presence of the other was calming for them, soothing, even, and they didn't need much but to have this quiet moment. However, it was impossible for Rum to keep in silence for much time.

"I'm sorry, Belle," he started, reaching for her hand, "I wish there was something I could do to stop my father."

"We will find a way," she guaranteed him with that secure smile, which was always able to make his heart race.

Belle was a safe haven for him. He had no idea how he managed to spend so many time away from her, but he didn't want to lose that woman never again. She was neutral, she was rational, she was a thing between light and darkness where desperation didn't exist and he hated the fact he was the one ruining the peace she should have.

"He is planning in using both of them," Gold told her, rubbing circles in her soft skin. "Gideon and Alice."

"Alice?" Belle inquired.

Rumford nodded.

"Her birthday will happen in the day of the most powerful eclipse in two hundred years. The first ever since the one that cursed our family."

He saw when things made sense in her mind, her eyes shinned as they always did when she reached some kind of wanted acknowledge and she left her teacup aside, moving in the chair so she was looking right on his eyes.

"Do you think she can choose Light or Darkness?"

"I think my father might be betting on that, yes," he confirmed, pulling her close. "Come here."

Passing a leg each side of his, Belle kissed him passionately, giving a little of the strength he had lost while using his powers earlier. His fingers carded her hair and she spread kisses along his jaw, nervous hands stroking his back.

"I love you, Rum, but I'm afraid," she confessed.

"Don't worry for now, alright?" Gold whispered, promessing: "I'll take care of this."

And he never in his life broke a promise he did, so obviously that wouldn't be the moment he would choose to do so, but there was a price, he knew it very well. When the time came and Rumford had to inevitably face his father again, he would make sure the rest his family stayed safe, but he never promised safety for himself.


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rum and Gideon have a talk.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, we are very close to the end now, another three or four chapters only, so I guess this will be my first completed WIP of 2018. Yay!  
> My thanks to everybody who is reading.

Alice laid down on Gideon's bed, shedding some tears for a long while. He sat by his desk, tapping his fingers in the arms of his chair, watching her crying and trying to think about the right thing to say right now. This last vision they had, haven't been like the previous ones, because even thought, Alice was clearly attached to her uncle, they hadn't discovered anything about him that could change the way she saw him, but today she saw something that changed everything she thought she knew about her own life. For years, Alice believed her mother had died on that fire, unable to escape the flames surrounding the house, but now she knew Eloise had been the one to start that fire.

After a while, her sobs turned into small sniffles and Alice wiped her eyes after starting to take off her black nail polish, absentmindedly her gaze lost beyond the blue walls of the bedroom. Gideon sighed aloud, trying to draw her attention to him, but Alice was too lost into her own world to even notice his presence, even though he had been the one who brought her there.

"So,” he started, a bit unsure, “are you feeling better?"

Slowly, Alice lifted her head. Her eyes were reddish and swollen, her right cheek flushed by the time she had spent laying on that side and her puffed to the same direction; Gideon thought she looked quite a mess, but her appearance could barely start to show the real catastrophe that should be in her mind by now.

"You mean, to know that my mother murdered my father in cold blood and hoped to have killed me in that fire too?" Alice inquired, sarcastically. "I think not."

"It sucks," he agreed. "But I'm here if you feel like talking."

The girl shooked her head, sitting up on the bed and sliding her socked feet back into her black boots. She snorted some kind of humourlessly laugh as she laced up her shoes.

"No, thank you," Alice mumbled, closing her eyes as she adjusted her sitting position, before opening them again to look straight at him. "I just... I wanted to understand why."

"You _saw_ why. She thought it could free her from the darkness."

As stupid and selfish as Eloise’s decision had been, Gideon thought he could understand why she did it anyway, even if she knew it all was just madness. She was lost, desperate and afraid of herself, of who the Darkness was making her become, so when Malcolm offered her an alternative, she held onto it like there was no tomorrow. Gideon comprehended her despair, because that was what he was felling most of the time, just to think about his own future.

Of course, no of this excused killing people, mainly family members, however he couldn’t just pretend the reasons didn’t exist at all. Alice jumped of the bed, starting to walk back and forward around the room.

"Yeah, but it doesn't make sense," she reflected. "How does someone get rid of the darkness with a dark act?"

"You have a point," he assented.

Pulling up the hood of her oversized coat, Alice let herself fall on the bed again, as if she wished she could just disappear from the world in that moment. Gideon saw that her eyes were shining with unshed tears again and he really wished he could do something for her, but he was feeling dizzy with all of this too and there were things bothering him.

"I need to say something," Gideon prompted. "I've been dreaming with someone, _a woman_ I didn't recognise, until today... She is Eloise Gold."

Alice narrowed her eyebrows.

"That doesn't make any sense."

"I know and I have never even seen her before, so I don't know how or why I have been dreaming with her, but I did,” the boy continued, pretty aware that it probably looked like he was just babbling nonsense. “And there is an important detail about that."

"What?"

"I die in the end of the dream," Gideon concluded, darkly. " _Every single time_."

Shifting in place, like just the thought of it gave her chills, Alice moved her shoulders repeatedly. Gideon had never been one to take dreams as signs of anything, but this one, was so vivid and insistent that he was starting to think it might be a small glimpse of the future. After all, he saw Eloise in these dreams even before he first saw her in the visions.

There was a knock on the door, and both heads turned to its direction as it was carefully open by Rumford Gold, that peeked a look inside before stepping in a little too clearly uncomfortable.

"Alice," he called, "time to go home."

"Right,” the blonde nodded, standing on her feet and walking to the door, “bye Gideon."

"See you at school?"

"Sure," she smiled, although it was a very fake and forced smile.

Rumford stood there, waiting until she left to look back at his son, who was sat in swivel chair with a distressed expression stamped in his face. They weren’t on good terms and the only conversations they had, had been conducted by Belle or Alice, but now they were alone he had no idea how to start talking.

"Can - " Rum cleaned his throat. "Can I have a word with you son?"

"As long as it is just one..." Gideon chuckled without any humour, but then he sighed deeply, glancing briefly at his father before adding: "I know, bad joke. Sorry."

Gold breathed in. It was hard to talk, he realised, because they didn’t know each other and the tragedy of this, was they were a father without a son and a son without a father for so long, they had no idea how to put themselves into their roles. Rum had seen a big number of pictures of Gideon growing up that Belle showed him and he had some remembrances of the times Pongo followed his love around and she had the boy in his arms as a baby, she followed him as a toddler or held his hand while they walked to his first day at school.

Those were images that had always made him smile, but in neither of those occasions Rumford knew this boy was his own son. It hurt him to know he had lost the chance of being a parent to his only child and now all that was left to them was this: resentment.

"I know you must feel confused - " Gold tried to continue, but Gideon shook his head and lifted a hand, warning him to stop whatever he was going to say after that.

Obviously, the boy wasn’t willing to listen.

"No, actually everything is perfectly clear for me now,” Gideon affirmed. “We have a pretty screwed-up family. _End of story_."

"Oh, I so wish this was the end," Rumford whispered to himself, before adding in a louder tone: "There are things, you need to understand about who you are and what will become of you after your twentieth birthday when your powers finally settle down."

Gideon arched an eyebrow. This seemed the kind of scene that would come up in one of those family movies nobody really watched for fun, but because there was nothing else more interesting in the TV. Gaston had been the worst father in the world, they barely talked most of time, so Rumford’s efforts to have a proper conversation with him were really surprising for Gideon, however they were also unwelcomed just now, when he was so confused after being attacked by his second mad aunt within two days.

"Is this some kind of weird magical teenager talk you just feel the need to have with me?" Gideon inquired. "Listen, you don't have to, Gold. I'm sixteen, totally capable of reading a book and you are standing here making both of us uncomfortable for nothing. You never were my father, you don't need to try acting like it now."

His words hurt. Gideon could see it clearly in Rumford's expression, how his eyes widened slightly, before becoming undoubtly sad and teary. And this was another surprise for him, because he had never seen Gaston look weak, not even when he was drunk, but right now watching Gold showing his emotions without any restrains he wondered if he would be a different person, had he been raised by that man.

"If I could, I would go back in time and be the man I should have been from the start, I wouldn't let fear take me and I would have never locked myself inside the Manor so long," Gold said in a broken voice. "But I can't, Gideon and unfortunately I never knew you were my son."

"Yeah," he mumbled.

The silence was almost dense between, both were able to notice a million different thoughts were going through the other’s mind, but none of them could speak for more than just a couple of seconds. Rumford knew exactly how to proceed, but he was afraid that doing it would push Gideon even more far away from him than he already was. However, remaining quiet wasn’t working too.

"The thing is,” Gold slowly said, taking Gideon off of his musings, “you're a mystery for now and there is people who would pay to watch and see what you will become."

" _Freaks_ ,” the boy remarked. “All of them."

"Aye, that's why I need you to stay strong and not for me, but for your mother and all the people who love you. Eloise wronged herself when she answered my father's call to the darkness and I don't want the same to happen to you."

Gideon stood up, walking past Rumford to his shelves, taking a random book from there before letting himself fall on the bed.

"Obviously it will not. Eloise and I are not the same and I can decide for myself."

"This blind fate you have... That's what drawled me to your mother," Rumford nodded, ready to leave. "You may not be human, but you don't fail to be as spectacular and unique as her."

He passed through the door, murmuring a simple good night and left the house.

* * *

 

When Gideon entered the school the next day, he was feeling like he needed a couple more hours of sleep. He was preoccupied with everything that was happening and still could happen around his family, as he knew his mother was too. Earlier, when he went downstairs to get breakfast, he found Isabelle sleeping on the couch with a book opened over her stomach and a pencil slipped to the floor, the proof the was doing everything on her reach to help Gold get rid of his infamous father and half-sister.

The boy didn’t wake her; he knew Ruby could handle the library alone for a day and his mother needed to rest. When he sat to eat some toast, and drink a cup of tea, Mrs. Potts eyed him angrily and started to mumble a bunch of bad things about his father and how everything would have been better if Belle just heard her right from the very start and never even got involved with an Incubus.

He had agreed with a couple of wordlessly nods, but they both knew it wasn’t all truth. Gaston had been a horrible husband to Belle and if she hadn’t loved Rumford, she would have been fated to marry that man anyway, but instead of having her good memories of a time she cherished and a son that came from the greatest love of her life, all she would know would be sad and grey, like endless cloudy cold winter days. Maybe things weren’t perfect right now, but they also weren’t the worst picture they could have been painted into.

Gideon scanned the crowdy corridors, trying to find Alice, but she didn’t seem to be anywhere around and he wondered if she really would come to school, when he felt someone tapping his shoulder and suddenly remembered that is best friend usually got a ride with him.

"Hey, sorry I didn't make it to your house yesterday,” Roderick was already saying, showing him a tiny smile. “I feel asleep on my sofa, with costume on and everything else and only woke up after midnight."

A frown appeared in Gideon’s face, because Roderick had dark circles around his eyes, which indicated that either he hadn’t slept well as he claimed to or he had painted his face for Hallowing and didn’t manage to take it all of properly.

"That's alright, Rod,” Gideon answered anyway. “I had problems too, so I don't believe I would have gone for any tricks or treats."

Roderick waved his head with a smirk as they walked own the hallway, but then, he suddenly stopped near the door of their first class of the day, taking a look at the informative board with lifted eyebrows.

"Oh, man she really did it," he whined.

"What?"

"Mrs. Nolan,” Roderick pointed out, gesticulating to the list on the board, “she listed us for the staging."

"I can't believe," Gideon complained.

But yet, that was it, they were being called to participate Storybrooke’s annual staging of the civil war. The town had a long field – which once had really been a battle field – where every single year, the school took the students to, so they could pull on some ridiculous costumes, pretend they were shooting with old guns and then have some of the local food. It was boring and the last thing someone wanted to do, but as a way to make the students attend to the event, it had a weight on their final grade. In other words, it their presence was obligatory.

"You better do," Rod chuckled. "I bet you'll at least look great in a civil war costume."

Grunting one last time, Gideon entered the classroom. His life couldn’t possibly get worst. Or so was what he thought.


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's Alice's birthday.  
> Roderick makes a big mistake.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, darlings, I'm back with a huge chapter, but I'm kind of proud with how much I wrote for this one. Hope it sounds good. Anyway, if you know the Caster Chronicles and read the books and saw the movie, you'll probably notice a mix of both with, of course, the own fic's needed details and plot. I really liked working with this part.

Belle was in denial. Of course, she was. It was difficult for her to accept everything that was happening, but more than that, it felt too hard to face, when she stared at her son and realised he was no longer a child. She remembered vaguely about how Rumford was all whiny the last time they saw each other, talking unstoppably about how he lost their boy’s whole life; she comforted him in that occasion, but only now as Gideon appeared in the tent wearing his civil war uniform costume, she realised that if it was wrecking for her to see he would soon be an adult, for Rum it should be twice as hard.

Standing up, she walked towards, him cupping his cheek and smiling at her boy before pulling him down for a hug. _God_ , Belle had never before stopped to think how tall he was, but Gideon was really huge, which was really funny since both his parents were very small people, but he must have taken from his grandfather Maurice. Isabelle pulled away, allowing him to straighten his position, but remained touching his arms, rubbing them repeatedly.

"You look handsome," she praised.

"You look like you’ve just came back from the dead," Gideon returned with a chuckle.

Blush came to cheeks. Belle knew she probably looked like a zombie, even with the great amount of make-up she used that morning to cover the dark circles around her eyes. She had woken up last night, after two days spent in the Manor, and as much as she had enjoyed herself in Rum’s arms, it also meant that she was drained and weak, while he was strong in power again. After what happened with his sisters, he needed to feed again and Belle knew the dreams wouldn’t do it, not when his father and Eloise could appear at any time.

"Usually you're kinder," Isabelle wrinkled her nose at her son. "Where is my gentleman?"

"Still sleeping at home," Gideon shrugged. "I do like your dress, thought."

She looked down at her beautiful yellow gown, filled with golden details. It was certainly a gorgeous delicate piece that was made to imitate the ones women wore during the civil war. Isabelle loved clothes and there was a time on her life where she wore dresses almost daily, but she wasn’t a fan of this annual staging and really didn’t want to be a part of it. However, she seemed to have no choice, since she and Ruby received a letter on the library saying that all establishment owners or commanders should be at the field, wearing costumes.

"Thank you," she said, sliding a hand through the soft fabric of her gown "The _real_ Victoria Belfrey forced me to wear it."

Gideon snorted loudly.

"We need to get the hell away from this town."

"Someday maybe," Belle nodded. "I would really like us to see the world together."

He smiled back at her and for a brief moment, there was just the two of them in the whole Earth. Isabelle held Gideon’s arms tighter, her eyes watery with unshed tears, lips tensing as she looked beyond him, inside her on mind, where the memories could bring back the time where was tiny enough to be lifted by her arms. Inhaling deeply, she concluded the best thing she ever did in her life was him. She had a lot to say, a lot to ask his forgiveness for and she was just about to do this, however, the magic of the moment was broken way too soon, when someone else got inside the tent, cleaning his throat to call their attention.

“Hey, Gid, time to go to the front line,” Roderick called, wearing himself a war uniform, a shotgun hanging in one of his shoulders. “Good afternoon, Miss Belle.”

“Good afternoon, Roderick,” Isabelle greeted him with a kind smile.

Gideon bent down again, pulling her into a tight hug, before kissing her cheek affectionally.

“Wish me luck.”

“I love you,” Belle said, instead. “More than anything in this world.”

“I love you too, mama.”

He followed Roderick outside and she watched them go, glancing at her wristwatch, knowing that soon the eclipse would start and Alice wouldn’t appear for the staging like she promised her cousin she would, because right now she should be at her house under uncle Rum and aunt Regina’s protection, waiting to see what the destiny had reserved for her.

After all, it was her birthday. But nobody had dared saying a thing to Gideon about that.

* * *

 

Alice was staring at the mirror, analysing curiously the red dress she wore. Aunt Regina had gifted her with it earlier, saying that he colour would look amazing on her and she would look like the fine young woman she was turning into, but she wasn’t sure if that was true. She was awake since four in the morning and nothing had happened yet; she didn’t feel different from yesterday, not evil, nor good, just herself tortured self, wondering what would become of her before the day ended.

The battlefield wasn’t far away from the Manor and she could hear the first fake shots as wells as a distant humming of multiple voices, that must be screaming somewhere. She thought about her mother, looking deep into her father’s eyes – the same ones she owned – and set their house in fire. Alice didn’t want to ever be as desperate and mad as Eloise was, but she was afraid her fate was already traced and it would be impossible for her to resist the call of the darkness.

A sob erupted from her throat and she was ready to let herself fall to the floor when she felt a pair of arms around her shoulders and turned around to bury her face on her uncle’s chest.

“It’s alright, dearest, it’s alright. I won’t leave you,” Rumford murmured to her.

She cried and cried, allowing him to pet her hair and bring her some comfort, because at least Alice knew she wouldn’t be alone. No matter what happened today, uncle Rum would stand by her side like he always did; she just feared for Gideon and Belle and what she could do with them by accident or not.

And that was when she felt. Her connection with Gideon suddenly got strong and his fear was suddenly hers. Somewhere, outside this house, her cousin was in trouble, he was terrified and in need of some help. She lifted her head to warn her uncle but them there was pain.

Gasping, Alice coughed repeatedly, trying to detach herself from Gideon so the burning feeling in her chest could stop, but it didn’t leave her until she felt his mind slipping away.

“Alice, what is it?” Uncle Rumford questioned, startled.

“Gideon,” she answered. “Something is wrong with him.”

* * *

 

The boys walked to the frontline, where a bunch of students were gathered for the staging. The teachers ran around madly, yelling commands, trying to fix holes in those old costumes or just adjusting the smoke machine that would give some realistic effect to the battle, just like the sounds of fake bullets which later would be played out. Gideon always thought it was a waste of money and time, but of course, with Victoria Belfrey in charge of the thing – her husband was the school’s principal – it would never end.

_Speaking about the devil_ , Gideon thought, seeing her approach the mayor with her daughter right by her side, wearing a civil war period purple gown. Ivy made a sick face at one of the girls from their class, murmuring something they couldn’t hear, but obviously was no good as the girl shrunk, lowering her head.

"Uh, Ivy is bitching around," Roderick complained, furrowing at the view.

"She always is," Gideon shrugged, although he couldn’t help feeling angry to see the girl bullying others for fun.

"Boys, I will need you in woods," said Mrs. Nolan stopping in from of them with a clipboard. She checked something between her papers and pointed at what seemed to be a large clearing right after the trees. "See that small property ahead?"

Both of them nodded wordlessly, but Gideon noticed something odd: Mrs. Nolan wasn’t wearing a costume like the other teachers. He narrowed his eyebrows at her long lavender skirt and blue cardigan, the exact same style of clothes she used to wear at school, trying to understand why she would be the only without one of those giant gowns that even his mother and aunt Ruby were being forced to wear.

"The war scene ends there, when the attackers set fire on the Snow Manor, the one in ruin beside Mr. Gold's. You'll be the two soldiers waiting there to defend the woman in the house."

"Sure," it was Roderick who answered. "Something else we should know?"

"I don't think so," she smiled back at him, brushing her short hair away from her eyes. "When the second group reach you, there will be two shots, some smoke and then we can all go eat something to celebrate."

"Right," Gideon assented. "See you later, Mrs. Nolan."

Gesticulating for Roderick to follow him along, Gideon started making his way through the woods, already knowing very well the place where they were heading to, although they were going to be a little distant from the stop where he usually met Alice, which made him remember he hadn’t seen her yet. Maybe, after all this madness was over, he could find her stealing some cookies and wearing those ridiculously big dresses. He would mock her for days because of that costume.

"So, how are things going with your new dad?" Roderick suddenly asked when they reached the property and positioned themselves near the woods.

A long sigh left Gideon. He knew Rod was only trying to start a conversation and might be curious about his mad family, but he didn’t really wish to talk about it, because he was still trying to cope with the whole situation.

"Same as always. We don't speak that much. He is obsessed in finding my grandfather and..." Gideon stopped in the middle of the sentence when he noticed his friend was taking the shotgun and lifting it. "Roderick, what are you doing?"

"I - " the other boy swallowed, pointing the weapon him. "I don't know. My hands are moving out of my command."

Gideon’s heart skipped a beat when he saw Roderick’s finger moving to the trigger and although he knew, those were old shotguns with no bullets, for some reason, he felt fear, various kinds of “what ifs” filling his mind.

"Put the shotgun down, please."

"I can't," Roderick exclaimed in panic. "Gideon, help me."

"I don't know how," he yelled back, seeing his best friend’s finger curve around the trigger. "Rod, don't do this."

But there was no time for that anymore. Roderick pulled the trigger and there was a loud unmistakable sound of a shot. Gideon had no time to react; in a second he was staring at Rod with wide, terrified eyes and in the next he was groaning in pain before he fell to the ground, feeling the blood pour from him. He heard the laugh and he saw her face.

Somehow, he was sure it was Eloise Gold’s doing, because his dreams with her always ended up this way. But in real life, dying hurt a hell lot more.

* * *

 

Watching the battle was boring. Belle would rather be at home, reading a good adventure, but instead she was trapped there, for the library. She sighed. It would be way more enjoyable if she could actually see her son doing something, but she suspected Belfrey had told the teachers to put him in one of the distant locations on purpose. It was frustrating and she couldn’t help keep looking at her watch at each couple of minutes to see how many time she still had to spend there before she could call Rumford to know something about Alice’s claiming.

However, it all changed when she felt a sudden pain ripping through her body. Belle got a hold on Mrs. Potts arm and gasped for air.

"Ah!"

"Isabelle,” the housekeeper started, worried, "are you alright?"

No, she wanted to scream. Belle was a Mortal, she couldn’t be linked to anybody the way Casters and Incubuses were, but she felt it, like someone was injuring her own body, because somehow, they were. A part of her – the most important part of her – was in pain and it made a new bound surge.

"My son," she cried. "I can feel it. Mrs. Potts, come with me."

"Where?"

Belle went to her bag, took a potion from there and the chain Gideon had left in her desk this morning. She dripped the potion in it and the thing started to fly.

"Where it leads," Isabelle indicated, running after the chain, like her life depended on it.

* * *

 

This kind of panic, in which you lose your sanity completely for some moments, was something Roderick didn't know before that day. He had let the shotgun fall to the floor, his whole body was shaking violently and he fell on his knees to the ground, sobbing and letting the tears fall free from his eyes. Some steps ahead, Gideon was laying still, blood covering his clothes and making a puddle on the ground.

It was his fault. Roderick moved himself, hearing his own strangled noises of despair, but not being able to felt ashamed of them. When he reached for Gideon, he saw that the boy's brown eyes were wide open and he coughed very slightly seeming to be drowning in his own blood.

"Oh, Gideon, forgive, please forgive me," Rod murmured, cupping his face and stroking his cheek. "Don't die."

"Roderick..."

His name was a low, hoarse sound in Gideon's mouth. He was slipping away at it all was Roderick's fault. His best friend would die, the person he most cherished in this whole world would die and it would be his fault.

"I love you, do you hear me?" Roderick asked, speaking about his feelings for the first time in his life as he brushed his lips to the other boy's forehead. "I have always loved you."

But it was clear that Gideon wasn't hearing it anymore. His eyes seemed to be frozen in the same position, facing the blue sky forever and Roderick hugged his body, weeping against his hair and asking himself why he had pulled that trigger. He killed the boy he loved and he would never be able to live with it.

Roderick whispered apologies to Gideon's dead frame repeatedly until he heard a soft noise beside h and lifted his head to see Alice and her uncle standing the with horrified faces.

"What have you done?" Rumford Gold yelled at him, pushing Roderick away. "Get the hell away from my son!"

"Mr. Gold, I - " Roderick swallowed a sob. "I didn't mean it. I didn't."

The boy stood up, looking at him with jelly knees and trembling hands. Alice had kneeled beside Gold and was holding one of her cousin's wrists as she let some tears fall from her eyes.

"Uncle Rum, I think his heart stopped," she said, weakly.

Rumford blinked, as if for the very first time he realised that Gideon was still on his arms, completely lifeless.

"No," he mumbled. "Not my boy."

His face was contracted in a grimace of pain and when he looked down the boy's body to find the wound, Gold realised the bullet must have gone through his heart. A fatal shot with no coming back.

"Just like I suspected," a voice behind them said. "He is weak and useless like the mother."

Slowly, Rum deposited Gideon's body on the ground, hearing Alice sniffling as she ran her hands carefully through her cousin's hair. She didn't wish to look up and see the two people she knew were standing there and were responsible for all of this.

"Malcolm," Gold pronounced, eyes laying momentarily in his father's frame before they moved to the smiley woman by his side. "Eloise."

"Hello, Rumford."

Eloise took a couple of steps in his direction, but she didn't walk to him, no, she passed right by his side, her carmine dress, almost the same tone as her daughter's and kneeled to touch Alice's face.

"Now look at her," Eloise said carefully running her nails along her soft skin. "She has potential, don't you think?"

"We need to see what happens when the moon comes," Malcolm shrugged.

"No," Alice grunted behind clenched teeth, "get away from me!"

She rose quickly on her feet, pulling the greatest distance between herself and her mother that she could. It was the first time Alice saw her face to face and the visions hadn't wronged her; Eloise was equally beautiful and cold, just like ice.

"Oh, darling, don't be afraid," the woman purred. "We know what is best for you."

"You tried to kill me," Alice screamed, rushing to her uncle's side and allowing him to enlace her shoulders protectively with one arm. "You killed my father and now Gideon!"

Malcolm snorted. He seemed to be pretty bored with the whole scene before him, as if none of those lives really mattered. As if they weren't all family.

"Breeding with Mortals makes our bloodline weak, girl, don't you understand?" He inquired. "If the boy was the Hybrid I was looking for, he would have survived."

Alice felt her uncle's grip on her arm turn involuntarily tight as he clenched his teeth at his father's words. It was a test, a sick test to see if Gideon was what Malcolm wanted, because a half-Incubus who died with just one shot, was certainly useless for him. But what he didn't understand was that Gideon was only sixteen and none of them knew what his powers would be like for now, although Rumford would be more than happy if the boy took entirely from his mother and had only bits of his own powers.

He opened his mouth to answer his father, tell him to go away so he could do something to save his son, but then, he saw her. Isabelle came running from the woods, with Mrs. Potts right behind, cheeks burning with colour, for the effort. Gold had to watch as the scene hit her and her body bend as she screamed in agony and feel to her knees before their dead son.

"Gideon," Belle sobbed painfully. "No! No, no, no!"

"And here she is," Malcolm started with disdain, walking towards her with a vicious smile on his lips. "The Mortal woman who took my son from me."

Isabelle lifted her furious gaze to him. She could kill with that look of hate.

"I did no such a thing," she spitted at him. "Rumford has always been good, unlike you."

"Shut up, little whore."

With a quick, Malcolm hit her on the side and she was throw away from Gideon. Rumford attempted to move on her direction as his father grabbed her by the neck and lifted her from the ground, but Alice got a hold on him.

"Do what you wish with me," Belle said, harshly. "You killed my son, why would I want to live?"

"Yeah, why would you?"

Closing his eyes Malcolm started to take all of her vital strength and this time, he pushed Alice away and rushed for Belle. Malcolm already hurt his son, he world let him do the same with Isabelle. They were very far away from him, but Rum could had reached them in a slip second, it wasn't for the man who suddenly appeared in front of him.

"Not so fast."

"Archie," Gold mumbled, surprised.

The last time he had seen his brother, he still looked the same, although a little bit off, due to his current madness, but now the sweet redhead with glasses and sweaters was gone. Archie was all dressed in black, glasses gone and a cold expression stamped in his face, as if he had become their father's mirrored image. Rum had no much time to react before he was attacked.

He screamed at Archie to stop, saying he didn't want to hurt him but he needed to save his love, when suddenly the redhead became still before disappearing in the air as Rumford blinked and faced his sister's proud face as she lifted a potion to him.

"Thank you, Regina."

"Let's deal with papa," she said in return.

Gold started to run, hitting his father with the weight of his body and making him drop Belle to the ground. He had never thought it would come to this, but the rage and the grieve were too strong in him to allow Rumford to think twice. He reached for the dagger he was carrying and sank it into Malcolm's chest.

There was a groan of pain, then nothing else. He was gone and Gold rose on his feet going to where Belle was fallen and pulling her up to his arms as she wept.

"Sweetheart, are you alright?"

"No, you should have let me die," she answered in a pained voice. "Our child is gone, Rumford."

His heart made a painful twist at her words.

"Hush, hush, my love, everything will be fine," he promised, looking up at his sister. "Regina, take care of her."

The dark-haired woman looked between Isabelle and Gideon, and although she had done what he asked and wrapped Belle into her embrace for support, she still stared at him with mistrust.

"Rum, what are you going to do?"

"What I need to," he answered, walking to his son.

Grabbing Gideon's hand, Gold kissed his knuckles feeling sorry for both of them to never have the chance of truly knowing each other, but knowing that at least, in the end they had met as father and son.

"Are you sure?" Mrs. Potts asked, sitting in front of him and placing the stones that would guarantee the exchange would be successful in front of Gideon's body.

"You won't miss me," Rumford chuckled humourlessly.

"No," the housekeeper smiled weakly, "I surely won't."

When she was done with the stones and the moon covered the sun, Gold looked up at the sky, allowing his magic to flow between him and his boy.

"Blood of my blood, flesh of my flesh, restore your soul, restore your life, take mine, take it all."

He took a long breath, feeling a new shock pass through his body, before he fell to the ground, eyes open and motionless.

Nobody had noticed Alice and Eloise were nowhere to be found.


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alice faces her mother.  
> Belle makes a choice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One chapter left! Thank you lovely people for reading and commenting <3.  
> I know this fic in particular is full of typos, because I haven't been having the needed time to properly edit it, and for that I'm so sorry. I think I might go back and fix it later, so whoever comes to read it, won't find it so horribly edited.  
> But anyway, I loved writing every single chapter for you guys!

Alice felt numb. Everything was confusing, everything hurt and the only thing she truly wanted to do was to scream out loud. Gideon was gone. Malcolm and Eloise were there. Isabelle was crying the loss of her son, wishing to die alongside with him. Her life had always been a mess, but how it suddenly came up to this?

At least, Alice felt secure while she was in her uncle’s arms, but by the moment he let go of her, she didn’t quite know what to do. The girl looked around, terrified and unsure, then her gaze met Eloise’s and she disappeared from there. It got her disoriented for a couple of moments, looking around to find herself standing right in front of the Gold Manor, with Eloise by her side, sliding a hand carefully down her cheek.

"What are you doing?" Alice yelled, shifting away from her mother's touch. "Why did you bring me here?"

A lazy smile slowly stretched in Eloise's lips, but her eyes remained still, focused in an invisible point behind her daughter, showing only coldness and madness. Alice felt some chills as she realised that woman, who seemed so lost in darkness was really her mother, and for her, apparently, there was no going back.

"Because as soon as the moon covers the sun, you'll be able to choose for yourself,” Eloise explained. “You will break the curse, if you choose the opposite of what calls you."

"And why would I do that?"

"Surely because you would set me free, darling, then we could go very far away from here."

Swallowing, she took another step back.

"No, I - " she shook her head. "I won't do this."

Eyes narrowing, Eloise circled Alice, measuring her from head to toe, like she was trying to find her daughter's weakness, something that would convince her to do what she wanted, however she didn't find any.

"Alice, you must, if you don't, every child that comes after you will have to face this curse," Eloise said, appealing. "You don't want this, do you?"

As they talked, the day started to slowly get dark, the eclipse making it look like the night had just arrived. Alice looked up, feeling a heavy warmth settle on her chest burning like fire. Eloise gasped as she placed a hand above her heart, a new power invading her and making her body tremble.

"This is not right," the girl murmured. "I'm not Light nor Darkness. I can't be one."

She closed her eyes, splaying a hand in the air, but not to receive the power the moon was gifting her with, but to change it. Alice wouldn't let a curse define her fate, nor lead the rest of her life. She didn't need to be one thing or the other, she just wanted to be herself. A delighted laugh left her mouth when the eclipse started to end, the moon moving away from the sun and the burst of power inside her, settling down.

"What have you done?" Eloise asked, shocked.

"I've made a choice."

A glow passed through her eyes and even thought Alice couldn't see it for herself she felt it. The claiming was over and by the angry expression in Eloise's face, she could tell what she did had just turned out right.

"You'll regret it," her mother said. "I promise you will."

Then she disappeared in the wind, like she had never been there at all.

* * *

 

Isabelle's heart was wrecked. She felt like a part of herself had died with Gideon and she couldn't find the will to continue living, but somehow, when she saw Rumford falling still beside their boy, a whole new pain settled on her heart. Her son was gone; she couldn't lose the love of her life too, or God knew, she would go mad.

Fighting with Regina to free herself from her embrace, Belle ran to where her boys were and reached to touch Rumford's face, some of her tears falling to his brow. She touched his cheek, brushing the hair away from his face and pressing a kiss to his lips, but no reaction came from him. Reaching two fingers to his neck, Belle tried to find his pulsing point, however there was none, because the blood wasn't running strong in his veins anymore; his heart had stopped.

She was just partly aware of Mrs. Potts and Regina saying things to her, calling her name desperately and trying to shook her shoulders to make her leave her hyponotic state, however Belle couldn't concentrate in anything but the fact that another person she loved was gone and she would be left alone and heartbroken.

"Rum, no," Isabelle cried. "Rumford, no, please no."

Then, in the back of her mind, she heard something different and she actually felt, the magic in the air. There was a gasp and she turned her head to the other side to see her son coughing repeatedly, before sitting up, as if nothing had happened with him.

"Mother?"

His voice was sleepy, confused, but he was in fact talking and Belle couldn't contain herself. She threw her arms around his neck, and he hugged her back with a little bit of uncertainty, allowing the mother to snuggle her face on the curve of his warm neck.

"Gideon," she respired, pulling away just enough to cup his cheek and look into his brown eyes. "But how - "

_How did you come back from the dead?_ She wanted to ask, because Isabelle had spent years working on the Lunae Libri and knew very well, there was no coming back once one had passed away, no magic was powerful enough to do it. At least, not any known Light magic.

"Gold made an exchange," it was Mrs. Potts who explained, "his life for the boy's."

And then she understood, there was yes, a way of reliving the dead: making an exchange or... She looked down her love's body, an idea occurring her. It had price to pay in the end, of course it had, but it would be worth it. Suddenly she felt her face get wet, but Isabelle wasn't crying anymore, so for a short moment, she furrowed, before looking back at her son and realising it was Gideon who was crying.

She grabbed his hand, leaning closer against him, knowing that even with all the problems they had this loss would be felt by her boy, like Gaston's never was. And the difference between these two deaths, wasn't just the fact that Rumford was Gideon's real father, while her deceased husband wasn't, but because in the short time, Rum and Gideon had known each other, all he did was to try approaching his son, and more than that, Rumford had died to save him.

"Call Ruby," Isabelle demanded, looking straight at Mrs. Potts.

"What?"

"Call Ruby now."

* * *

 

Mrs. Potts took Gideon and a very surprised (then very sad) Alice home. The girl had arrived in tears, telling them between sobs what happened with her mother, but it was when she laid eyes on her uncle that Alice really broken down. Belle suggested they headed back to the Manor, so she could calm herself while the others waited for Ruby's arrival. Of course, Mrs. Potts wasn't agreeing with any of this, but she didn't have any saying in that matter.

So, when Ruby appeared, still wearing her red civil war gown, holding the Pandora's box in a hand, Belle took it from her and opened the lid, allowing the magic inside to take Rumford's body, keeping it safe, locked inside there. Isabelle breathed in a little more relieved.

"Are you sure this is going to work?" Ruby asked, seeing how she held the box close to her chest.

"I don't know," the Keeper confessed, "I'll have to wait and see, but I can't just give up on him."

Regina took if from her, giving the box a small smile as she kicked some rocks with the tip of her heeled boots.

"I'm locking it with magic on the family's crypt, so only you can enter it, Belle."

"Thank you, Regina."

She sighed as they watched Gold's sister walk ahead to the place where the cript was hidden, and no one would dare to go. Belle felt better although it was still difficult to understand that her plan could work just as easily as it couldn't.

"One year?" Ruby inquired, hugging her shoulders.

"A whole damned year," Belle nodded.

Her friend gestured for them to go to the Manor, where her son would be waiting, curious about what she had just done and Belle would have to explain everything for him, asking all the people involved to keep the secret for now, because even if Malcolm was dead, he had a whole bunch of criminal friends who would love to come after then and as long as his death remained a mystery.

Isabelle allowed Ruby to go ahead, but stayed there for a moment more, staring at the sky and noticing that in the middle of her despair, she had lost the eclipse she waited so much to see. Surely, it didn’t matter now, mainly when Belle had lots of more important things to think about. She hugged herself, against the cold wind and felt some fresh tears start to blurry her eyes.

"Thank you for what you did, my love," Belle said to the empty gardens, as if Rumford was still there by her side. "You saved our son and now I'm going to save you."

Then, she turned around and headed home.

* * *

 

Later that day, when the night had already arrived, the guests had left the Gold Manor and Alice made some of their things appear, so they could spend the night with her, Belle sat at the living room with a mug of hot tea wrapped in her hands as she looked around Rumford’s house with real attention for the first time, wishing he wasn’t there to show her his collective items or play piano while she read near the fireplace. She had never felt so lonely, not even after she married Gaston and was still feeling heartbroken to not be able to share a life with the man she really loved.

But the difference was now there was now, Rum wasn’t just away, he was somewhere she couldn’t reach and wouldn’t be able to exchange love letters with her like they’ve done for so long. Taking a sip of her tea, Belle turned her head to the other side, when she heard steps behind her and saw that Gideon was coming to join her in the sofa, already wearing a clean pair of pyjamas.

He smiled at his mother, sliding to the empty seat by her side and leaning his head against her shoulder. Belle pulled her mug away, petting his hair gently, grateful to have her boy alive and safe by her side.

"I want to say that I'm sorry," Gideon started, "for everything. I really wanted to be able to say it to my father myself."

"He knows," she assured him. "And he loved you, Gideon, that's why he did that."

His eyes were wet with the tears he so wished to be able to hide and Belle kissed the top of his head, inhaling the essence of his shampoo calming her heart and making her feel that somehow everything would be fine in the end. Her son moved to lay his head on the cushion above her lap, just like he always did when he was a child.

"Are we really going to move here?"

"Yes," Belle smiled, knowing it was the right thing to do. "I need to take care of Alice and our house doesn't have an extra room."

Despite of all, Gideon chuckled.

"Mrs. Potts must not be happy with that."

"Oh, I can guarantee you, she isn't."

His eyes slammed shut and he exhaled a long breath. Gideon never thought Gold’s death could feel so painful, but he had sacrificed himself to save him, he actually traded his life for someone he only knew for a couple of months. He never truly realised his father cared that much about him, maybe because he didn’t want to see, he didn’t want to have any hopes this time around he would have a real father, but now it was too late for any of this.

"I love you, mama," Gideon said. "I just wish I could go back and change things."

"Yeah, me too."

* * *

 

No matter what happened in one’s life school didn’t stop. So, on Monday morning, Gideon and Alice left the old Cadillac, heading to the building where they were to have an English class. None of them wanted to be there, but Belle was impassive and there was no way they could manage to convince her they needed another day at home. It had been a quite tiring and sad weekend; they moved all of their belongings to the Gold Manor, to Storybrooke's residents’ horror as Belle declared to a few people who had asked, that she was in a relationship with Rumford Gold.

Nobody mentioned of course, he was trapped inside a magical item, getting prepared to come back to life, if everything went according to his mother's plan. But for now, he had a new big room and found some entertainment hearing Mrs. Potts complaining about Belle's recent choice of moving houses. He smiled to himself, poking Alice's ribs to annoy her.

"Light and Darkness together, you're clever," Gideon said, praising her for the smart solution she found to her problem.

Alice was probably the only known Caster with both powers now, not one thing nor the other, just unique.

"Thank you, dear cousin, but I've always known that."

They were entering the school when Gideon spotted Roderick arriving with his bike and stopped walking. He had been thinking about the things he said for days now and he was eager to have a proper talk with him.

"Wait a second," Gideon told Alice, already running to where the other boy was. "Roderick!"

Turning around, Roderick saw him and his cheeks became bright red, Gideon saw how much he seemed to suddenly get shy, but he couldn't let this conversation wait anymore.

"I have a class to go now and I'm a bit late."

"We haven't talked for days," Gideon instead.

"I know," Roderick breathed, shaking his head. "But I've killed you and I'm ashamed."

Gideon reached for his arm, an attempt to say with a small touch that it was alright, he understood what had happened and he didn't blame Roderick. He never could.

"It wasn't your fault."

"You moved away," Rod said in a low tone of voice, blinking repeatedly as he fought his tears.

Gideon smiled at how fool he sounded. There was a lot he had to talk to Roderick, some sad feelings he needed to share with someone who knew him deep down and some happy news only Rod would know how to properly react to. He missed him and he couldn't imagine a time where this boy wouldn't be a part of his life.

"That was my mother's decision."

"Yeah."

"Listen," he started, "I've heard what you said before I passed out."

"Oh," now Roderick's face was bright red and he looked about to ran very far away from there. "I - "

Gideon interrupted him by pulling Roderick close and pressing a kiss to his lips. It was awkward and messy and half of the school saw it, but Gideon didn't care, all he wanted was for Rod to know his feelings were mutual.

"I love you too, idiot."

* * *

 

Walking inside the library, Alice took off her soaked oversized coat, all wet because of the rain. She groaned at it pulling the piece of clothing in a hook and looking around the empty room, thinking again that Storybrooke's residents could really do some reading. Alice ran her hands through her messy hair, face contracting in a frown, because the bubbly librarian who should be there, was anywhere to be seen.

"Ruby? Where are you?" The girl yelled. "Aunt Belle said you should come over to dinner, she is looking forward to show you the new buys for the - "

Her phrase was interrupted by the sight of a shy smiley blonde girl coming from behind some shelves. She wore a flower stamped dress and a big blue cardigan; definitely a pretty girl and one she had never seen around town before.

"Hello," she said softly.

"Oh, hi. Who are you?"

Coming from the same place where the girl did, Ruby appeared adjusting a black hat atop of her head.

"Alice, this is my new appretiance, Robin Mills," the librarian presented them. "She came from England to be the next Keeper of the Storybrooke's Lunae Libri."

Oh, so not an ordinary girl, Alice thought. It was good, because at least that Robin wasn't going to be one of these stupid people who judged her by her family's reputation or her quiet, weird manners. She thought she might like her.

"Nice to meet you."

"You too," Robin answered still smiling.

Ruby looked between the two of them before taking her place behind the circulation desk, opening a book as she gave Alice a quick glance.

"Care to give her a proper tour around, missy?"

Alice nodded.

"I would be obliged."

She took the keys of the Lunae Libri from Ruby's hand and lead Robin to the elevator. That was an interesting day.

* * *

 

**_One year later._ **

 

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Ruby asked for the tenth time that day. "You'll never be allowed inside the Lunae Libri again. The work of your life gone, with this simple spell."

Isabelle took a deep sharp breath. She knew what it meant of course, she had spent the last year preparing herself for this moment, and she was really happy they found Robin, because she was just perfect to continue her job and even if she couldn't be a Keeper anymore, she would still be just a normal librarian and that was enough for her, as along as she got the love of her life back.

"I know, but that's something I need to do and not just for myself."

Ruby worried at her lip, appearing to be in need of saying something else, but she ended up opting for not doing so and just nodded giving Belle a squeeze on her hand as she stepped inside the crypt.

"I'll be outside, if you need me."

"Thank you, Ruby," Belle spoke sincerely. "For everything you did for my family along this year. You're the best friend someone could have."

She got a last smile from her friend before she disappeared inside, lighting up a lamp and taking the parchment she brought, off of her coat's pocket and standing in front of the rock where the Pandora's box had been placed for what seemed so long ago, by Regina. Unrolling the paper, Belle didn't think twice before starting to read the words that might bring Rum back or not, but would certainly end her participation on the Supernatural world.

"What was lost in time, come again, bring light, bring hope, be alive again."

The Pandora's box started to shine so brightly that she had to cover her eyes and step back, but then the light became lower and she looked straight at it, watching as a human silhouette started to form. Belle gasped, recognising the man who was being brought back to life in all his glory, exactly like the way he was the day he traded his life for their son.

"Belle?"

"Rumford," she proffered, not taking another second before throwing her arms around his neck and drowning in his embrace.

Something that sounded like a sob came from Rum as he pulled her closer, hugging her tighter, and spreading kisses on her face.

"Oh, sweetheart, you saved me," he said in a quite broken voice. "But at what cost?"

"Nothing I wasn't willing to give up to have you again."

Rumford looked deep into her eyes before he finally met her lips. He couldn't believe how clever she was; when he gave his life for Gideon he never thought he could come back, but she found a way and he appreciated her wisdom even more now.

"I feel different," he said, pulling away from her. "I don't feel myself draining your life with my kisses anymore."

Belle touched his face and the glow she saw in her eyes, the same one she could see sometimes reflected in only one of Alice's iris, showed her something Rumford couldn't realise for himself.

"You're Light, Rum," she whispered, mesmerized. "Like you should have always been."

"Light?"

"Yes," she confirmed, hiding her face on the curve of his neck again, placing a kiss on the hot skin she found there. "What do you think about going home now? There is someone I want you to meet."

"I think it sounds perfect."

But yet, they stayed inside the crypt for a long moment, because they couldn't just let go of the other now, when they had just found love again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a little note, so here Robin is not Zelena's daughter, because that would make her Alice's cousin and that certainly wouldn't work.


	16. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cheesy happy ending. Enjoy it!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here we have the final chapter. Thank you all so much for keeping up with this fic, I loved reading each of your comments <3.

The walk to the house was very slow. Belle had felt hopeless many, many times in her life, so it was good to go for a chance, as her heart seemed about to burst with happiness. There was still a lot to be settled and done, but that was it, she was getting the new beginning she always wished for. Rumford's hand was warm and firmly wrapped around hers, she could lean against him while they walked and her his deep laugh when she stopped walking to pepper his face with some kisses. He cupped her face and brushed his lips against hers like she was just a dream and he was expecting he would soon awake.

"So, you really moved to the Manor?" Rum questioned, bumping his nose softly against hers. "Mrs. Potts must be really mad at you."

Belle broke into laugher, nodding repeatedly; she couldn't even begin to explain how hilarious it had been when they were moving houses and all Mrs. Potts could was to grumble around and twitch her nose at every piece of furniture the Manor had. It was like an offense to her to have to live in a place that belonged to the Supernatural kind, which she so despised. Gideon was the one and only exception for her and it was just because of him that she didn't stay at their old home.

"She didn't speak with me for the first few weeks, but them, something eased her off."

"I wonder what it is," Rumford answered with a grin, eyeing his house as they reached it, but then, he suddenly stopped walking, feeling his mouth get dry. "Wait a second."

Looking back at him, Belle questioned: "What? Are you alright?"

He sucked a breath, not quite ready yet to find everything out, but knowing he had no much options, because they would eventually need to get inside, as they couldn't just spend the whole day in there. Belle took his hand with a puzzled look on her face.

"Is... Is Alice still there?" He finally managed to ask. "Is she Light?"

A tiny smirk crossed her face. After a whole year, Alice only seemed to be stronger than before, she was dealing with her powers beautifully with some help of Regina - who had insisted she'd go back to her house after Rum's "death", but couldn't quite convince her to do so.

"She is herself, not Light nor Darkness. A bit of both," Belle told him in a proud voice. "She is dying to see you."

Rumford blinked, trying to get her words to make sense, but he had read all kinds of magical books during his life and none of them even mentioned a Caster who beard Light and Darkness at the same time.

"Both? How is that even possible?"

"You'll will find out that a lot of things changed and the impossible has often happened around here," she replied, rubbing at his palm while she spoke. "Now before we get in, I'd better warn you of what you will find, so you can prepare yourself."

A small laugh left him.

"Did you transform my house into a library?"

"Of course not, don't be silly," Belle rolled her eyes. "They are waiting for you. Everybody. The whole family. The whole Gold clan is inside there with balloons, waiting to welcome you back. Just not Cora and Zelena."

That, made his eyes get wide and a real guffaw to escape his lips. His family usually only gathered for their annual dinner, and thinking about them blooming up balloons was just a ridiculous image.

"I won't miss them," he remarked, referring to his step-mother and sister.

"Good," Belle said. "But there are some friends too. New people."

"So, what?"

She cleaned her throat, a little bit uncomfortable, because Belle certainly didn't know how to tell him this. Of course, she spent a lot of time during that year preparing herself to this moment, where she would have to face Rum and share all the news with him, but just now, Belle realised she wasn't ready like she thought she was.

"New people, who might be deeply involved with other people you care about."

Swallowing hard, Rumford felt as if there was no proximity between them anymore. His heart was heavy in his chest with a fear he didn't expect to feel this soon.

"Belle, did you get a boyfriend?" He inquired. "Is that what you are trying to tell me? Because I would totally understand, I've been away and - "

"No," she immediately interrupted him, shaking her head to stop his words. "It's Gideon and Alice. They have partners."

"Oh," he mumbled.

"Yeah," Belle agreed, "oh."

As relieved as Rumford felt, he needed to admit it was rather surprising to know both his niece and son had taken a big step forward into their lives during that year and he wasn't there to even opine over it.

"They are children," he murmured in awe.

"They are teenagers, Rum."

He knew Belle was right, but even so, it was still hard to believe it. Gold had raised Alice and Gideon, well, Gideon he had just found out that was his son and now he felt like he wasn't going to have time enough to be his father. The boy was seventeen and soon would be going to college and he would have missed it all. However, although he was sad, he didn't show it to Belle.

"Alright," Rumford nodded with a smile. "I'll give them a chance."

"Then, come with me," she returned holding out a hand for him.

They walked inside the Manor, allowing the front door to close behind them and Gold felt strangely more at home than ever before. From the hallway to the living room, there were some bits of Belle all around: pictures, paintings and decorative pieces. She left a mark there and he was glad she did, because now, he knew they would be together no matter what, no more hiding, no more lies, just love. And it all began with his silly family throwing out a stupid party for him.

"Welcome home," they said in unison.

A frown appeared in his face as he looked down at the cake and balloons, because yes, there were really balloons.

"Was that really needed?"

"Alice's idea," Belle shrugged.

His niece's excitement couldn't be hidden, as she threw her arms around his neck, hugging him tight and squealing loudly in his ear.

"I missed you, uncle Rum."

"I missed you too, Alice," he chuckled, pulling her down to the floor.

Her hug was followed by a lot more, starting with his mother who first embraced him and told Rumford how brave he was for trading his life for Gideon without thinking twice and then, cursed him with all the bad words she knew for giving her such heartache. They laughed together and then he spoke with some of his family members before the reunion started to seem too much and Gold found himself in the kitchen with a glass of scotch in his hands. That was when someone else entered the room, quiet as the night itself.

"You avoided me," Gideon said, startling him.

Rumford jumped in place, not having heard when the boy came there. He slowly turned around to see Gideon with arms folded against his chest.

"Oh my, you scared me half-way back to death."

"I'm sorry," the son answered. "Can we talk or will you just continue to pretend I'm not around?"

Feeling himself shrink a little, Gold placed his glass on the counter, staring at it to avoid his son's eyes. He was eager to speak to Gideon, but he could remember how their last conversation had been pointless and awkward.

"I wasn't sure if you were really happy to see me back."

Gideon sighed and took a step into his direction.

"You traded your life for mine. That was the greatest thing someone ever did for me," he started with the kindest of the smiles he had ever shown to Gold. "Thank you, father."

"I would to that again without thinking twice," Rumford assured him. "Although I prefer to see you safe."

The grin on Gideon's lips only became wider. He had been waiting to do this, talk to his father like he never did before and push away that guilt feeling that was killing him inside, no matter what he did to forget it.

"Listen, I know the last time we spoke with each other I was still angry and confused, but I'm sorry," Gideon said, sincerely. "All I want now is to get to know you."

It was an impulse, but Gideon moved forward and hugged him. Surely it felt both weird and good, because it was the first time they showed some affection for each other. Gold had sacrificed himself for Gideon but he hadn't yet received any positive answer from him since they discovered themselves to be father and son. Not until now.

"I love you, son," he murmured against the fabric of Gideon's sweater.

"I'm glad that you're my father," the boy answered pulling away.

They heard another boy, who Run thought to be a friend of his, calling for Gideon and he excused himself out of the kitchen. And that was just then that Gold realised Belle was standing near the opposite door from where their son exited.

"Am I seeing tears in your eyes?" She questioned, walking towards him and passing her arms around his waist.

"He accepts me," Rumford whispered back in astonishment.

"Yeah, he is a good boy and he would have accepted you sooner or later, but what you did to save him had a powerful effect in Gideon."

He nodded, kissing the top of her head, before wiping away his tears of joy.

"I'm just happy we are having a new chance," he stated.

"Talking about new chances," Belle grinned brilliantly, taking his hand and gesticulating to the door. "I want to show you something upstairs."

Allowing her to drag him through the corridors, Gold could still hear the voices speaking in the living room. She was radiant and he was more than excited with the prospect of having a whole life to share with her.

"The surprises won't stop."

"No, they won't," Belle agreed. "But I must warn you that I changed your bedroom a bit."

They arrived the first floor, taking slow steps into his room's direction and he could tell, by the way Belle was nibbling at her lip, glancing nervously at him each five seconds. He couldn't guess why, of course, but bet he would find it out soon.

"I couldn't care less," Gold replied. "The house is yours, do what you want here."

She was about to say something when the master bedroom's door was open and Regina got out of there with a smile on her lips.

"Regina," he greeted her.

"I was just checking," she said to Belle, ignoring him. "Everything is perfect."

"Thank you," the librarian answered.

His sister only nodded, already making her way down the stairs, but they stood there for another moment, he not knowing if they should proceed and she not feeling ready to.

"Usually I don't let people in," Rumford said, pointing at his room.

"I know, but I needed someone to keep an eye here."

She finally moved, going there and opening the door, with Rum quickly following. At first sight he couldn't say there was much difference from what it was a year ago and now, but there was certainly one piece of furniture that was new there, its bright white colour differing from the rest of the room, all black. A small crib, placed right beside the bed. Belle slid to sat in front of it, smiling like a fool at the baby inside of it, which he couldn't properly see from where he was, frozen with shock.

"Sweetheart," Rumford swallowed. "What is that?"

"Come closer, Rum," Belle said in a kind tone, "she won't bite you."

She. His heart skipped a beat. He wasn't delusional, there was really a baby girl inside that crib and Belle was playing with its little fingers and making her giggle happily. He took a seat peeking a better look at the child and was impressed to see a little girl with the same warm brown eyes Gideon had, fussing around the crib, round pinkish cheeks adorning her face and big eyelashes touching them when she blinked.

"She is..."

"Ours," Belle completed, when he wasn't able to. "Yours and mine."

Bending down, she picked up the baby, cradling her gently against her chest, which made his breath got caught on his throat. The little girl instinctively nestled herself against her mother, making tiny sounds of contentment; she looked about five or maybe six months old, was dressed with a yellow gown and brown tights. Incredibly beautiful, just like Belle.

"I - " he tried to start, but needed to take a deeper breath to do it. "I wasn't expecting that."

"Neither was I," Isabelle confessed, "but in the middle of the grief, there was her, guarantying me a new chance of happiness, assuring me that we would get a new beginning."

He nodded mindlessly, with looking marvelled at the child in his love's arms. Rumford remembered the few nights they shared after he appeared in the library to confront Belle about Gideon being his son, and now he knew one of them had brought him a daughter.

"Can I hold her?" Rum asked, gently. "The only baby I've ever held was Alice, but she wasn't mine."

A sad expression crossed Belle's face, but all she did was to lift the baby for him to take.

"Here."

Gold gently picked her up, smiling like a fool and the baby girl stared at him with wide, curious yes. She leaned in and got a grab of his nose, giggling before dropping her tiny hand to his shoulder, moving her chubby fingers through his hair, playing with the greying strands.

"Oh, Belle..." Rumford muttered, never adverting his gaze from the baby. "I wish I was here with you all along."

"That's alright. You're here now," Belle assured rubbing at his back.

But that didn't erase the fact he had lost the birth of another child of his, that he hadn't been there so see his beloved Isabelle pregnant or help her during the endless nights when the little girl wouldn't sleep. However, as he cradled her, he relished in having that sweet baby on his arms.

"What is her name?"

"Rose."

"Beautiful, just like her," Rum said, brushing his lips against Rose's temple. "How is Gideon taking that?"

"He is pretty great," Isabelle told him. "He takes care of us. Alice too."

Rum didn't know what made him the happiest, if it was the fact that Alice and Gideon were alright with the new addition of the family or if it was the way Rose seemed to be unable to stop discovering everything about him, hands grabbing his tie, the buttons of his coat or tapping his jaw.

"Nice to hear it."

"She already likes you," Belle pointed out seeing how her daughter squealed happily in her father's arms. "I've told her all about her papa."

He cupped Belle's face with one hand and pressed a passionate kiss on her lips, holding her in place until a sudden knock of the door made them quickly depart to see a flushed Alice peeking a look inside.

"Excuse me," the girl started. "We have dinner downstairs, so..."

"Of course," Rum nodded. "I'm eager to know your boyfriend."

Alice's eyes budged as she laid her glance on Belle, a frown appearing on her face.

"Didn't you tell him?"

"Mm, no," the librarian shrugged. "I thought you should do it yourself."

"Right," she snorted, pointing an accusative finger at Rumford, "but you better don't scare the hell out of Robin."

She left the room slamming the door shut behind her, clearly more nervous about them going downstairs for the dinner than she had been a moment before.

"Robin? Like my sister's husband?"

"Same name, different person," Belle said, worrying at her lip before adding: "Very different."

He didn't know exactly what those words really implied, but he was really eager to take a proper look on this Robin and wondered if he was the boy he saw earlier, the one who called for Gideon when they were talking at the kitchen.

"Are we taking her there too?" Rum asked, gesturing to Rose with a movement of his head.

"Yeah, she won't be quiet now that she is awake," she affirmed stretching her arms to take the baby girl from him. "Come with mama, Rosie."

They went out of the room, heading to the dining room, but when they reached the hallway that led there, they found Alice standing nervously in place, with a girl right beside her, wearing a dress and a cardigan in pastel colours, very differently from his niece's style.

"Alright, let's do this before you enter the dining room, because our last family reunion there wasn't really great," Alice said in a rush. "Uncle Rum, this is Robin."

"Hello," the girl said and he could detect a different accent in that small word.

"Uh, hi."

He didn't know what else to say. Robin was a girl. That was what they had been talking about earlier, and that was the reason Alice didn't seem to be willing to present them without Belle's previous warning.

"It is very nice to meet you," the blonde continued. "Alice talked a lot about you."

"How did you two met?"

Her eyebrows narrowed, just like Alice's. They were probably thinking he was making a big deal out of the fact she was a girl, but Rum cared nothing about that. What he truly cared for was if they would love each other equally and his Alice wouldn't end-up heart broken.

"Robin will replace me as a Keeper in the Lunae Libri," Belle explained, proudly.

"Will she?"

"Yeah," the girl agreed. "And it's an honour for me to learn from Miss Belle's experience. She is brilliant."

"That I agree with."

All of them smiled, but them, the silence came over them and Rose was the only one still emitting little sounds, until Isabelle cleaned her throat, tapping at his shoulder.

"Dinner."

"Aye," he agreed, "dinner."

He followed her through the corridor and took his seat beside Belle, looking around the table and paying careful attention to everyone's faces until he found one he recognised from a quick encounter. The boy who had shot his son. Today of course, he was very different from that day, when all he did was cry; now there as a huge grin on his lips and his hair was cut. But yet he was the same one, although Rum hadn't noticed that earlier, when he first saw him.

"The boy beside Gideon is Roderick," Belle told him, feeling that Rum got still beside her. "They have been friends ever since childhood, but now they are... Together."

"Of course, they are..."

He couldn't deny the fact the smiles his son shared with Roderick were like the ones he used to catch himself sharing with Belle and as preoccupied as he felt with the fact that this boy had been the responsible for ending his life once, he knew it wasn't his fault, just as much as he knew he had never seen Gideon look so cheerful before as he looked now, passing a bowl with salad to Roderick.

"Are you alright?" Isabelle asked.

"Yeah," he nodded, passing an arm around her shoulders. "Believe it or not, I'm happier today than I have been in my entire life."

It was the truth of the moment, all of them were just joyful and glee, because they had fought really hard for what they had now: _a new beginning_.


End file.
